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NBA Rumors: Celtics Rival Looking To Trade All-Star Forward? – NESN
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The Boston Celtics have already engaged in the trade market this offseason, and now one of their division rivals could soon be doing the same.
After missing the playoffs for the second time in three seasons, four years removed from their franchise’s first-ever NBA Finals title, the Toronto Raptors have already endured their first significant roster loss after Fred VanVleet landed a $130 million deal with the Houston Rockets in free agency. Now, there’s a growing “speculation” that Pascal Siakam could be next, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.
“There is persistent speculation that Pascal Siakam — the team’s leading scorer, second-most prolific playmaker and ultimate home-grown success story — could be traded before the regular season starts and perhaps much sooner as the NBA’s transaction market simmers,” Grange wrote on Tuesday. “… Atlanta has been tied to Siakam for weeks and was trying to re-engage the Raptors over the weekend after the VanVleet news broke Friday night. Several other teams are believed to have checked in also.”
Having crumbled little by little since the team’s most pivotal departure in Kawhi Leonard, who signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019, the Raptors were still able to hang around and contend with the Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
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In 2020, Toronto’s first season without Leonard, the Raptors took Boston to seven games in the semi finals round, pushing Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to the limit while also pulling the carpet out from underneath then-head coach Brad Stevens in Game 3 to extend the series.
Dealing Siakam could ultimately signal Toronto’s admission to its lackluster roster, incapable of competing with the powerhouses of the East next season. With former head coach Nick Nurse gone, perhaps the Raptors are self-aware of the closing of their contention window, and in need of a rebuild to surround youngster Scottie Barnes, who was selected fourth overall by Toronto in 2021 and won Rookie of the Year.
Meanwhile, this development comes as great news for the Celtics, and for obvious reasons.
Siakam was Toronto’s best player last season, averaging a team-leading 24.2 points and 7.8 rebounds amid the second All-Star campaign of the 29-year-old’s career. Obviously, none of that proved well enough to sneak into the postseason, but a hypothetical trade from Toronto would remove a familiar threat from Boston’s division moving forward.
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After signing an initial four-year, $136 million deal with the Raptors in 2019, Siakam has just one year remaining ($37 million) on his contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2024.
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