Sources: Kings eye major move as pressure mounts; Raptors ‘listening’ to offers for Siakam
Kings general manager Monte McNair is looking to make a major move with eyes on some of the biggest prizes in the NBA trade market.
Multiple sources tell The Sacramento Bee the Kings have shown interest in both Ben Simmons and Pascal Siakam, the two most prominent names linked to Sacramento since the trade and free agency frenzy began. Some remain skeptical the Kings can pull off that kind of deal, but McNair wants to make a major move as pressure to win begins to build within the organization 11 months after he was hired, sources said.
Talks could pick up this week, with all 30 teams convening in Las Vegas, where the Kings will play the Charlotte Hornets in their summer league opener at 3 p.m. Monday at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center. Outside the organization, there is a perception that Sacramento’s new front office is already “feeling the heat” from Kings owner Vivek Ranadive.
A source with knowledge of the situation in Toronto said the Raptors are receiving numerous calls about Siakam and team president Masai Ujiri is “listening like a good negotiator.” The Kings, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers are said to be particularly “enamored” with Siakam. A trade is possible, but not likely, the source said, adding Siakam has no desire to be moved despite the possibility of a rebuilding situation in Toronto.
The Raptors are at a crossroads under Ujiri, who reached a new deal Thursday to remain in Toronto as vice chairman and president. Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry, the key pieces from Toronto’s 2019 NBA championship team, are gone. Leonard left to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers in July 2019, less than a month after leading the Raptors over the Warriors in the NBA Finals. Lowry, who spent nine seasons in Toronto, just left in a sign-and-trade agreement with the Miami Heat. That deal is now the subject of a tampering investigation, but the NBA is not expected to void the trade.
Ujiri will have to decide where the Raptors go from here. Some reports suggest Toronto might be willing to trade Siakam, 27, who is entering the second year of a four-year, $136.9 million contract. He is owed $33 million in 2021-22, $35.4 million in 2022-23 and $37.9 million in 2023-24.
Speculation about Siakam’s future with the Raptors has only intensified since Toronto selected Scottie Barnes with the No. 4 pick in the NBA draft. Barnes is viewed as a possible long-term replacement for Siakam, but the Raptors must decide if they are rebuilding or simply retooling a roster that still includes Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., O.G. Anunoby, Chris Boucher and Khem Birch.
Siakam is a 6-foot-9, 230-pound power forward who came out of New Mexico State as the No. 27 pick in the 2016 NBA draft. He was the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2019. He was an All-Star and All-NBA Second Team selection in 2020.
Siakam won the Most Improved Player award after averaging 16.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists while raising his field-goal percentage from 50.8% to 54.9% and his 3-point shooting from 22% to 36.9%. He made another leap in 2019-20, averaging 22.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
Last season, Siakam averaged 21.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and career highs of 4.5 assists and 1.1 steals last season. He shot just 29.7% from 3-point range after hitting 36.9% in 2018-19 and 35.9% in 2019-20.
Siakam tore his left labrum in May, causing him to miss the rest of the season. The team said Siakam would need five months to fully recover after undergoing surgery in early June. Based on that timeline, Siakam will likely miss the start of the 2021-22 season, something any team trying to acquire him will have to consider.
An offer from Sacramento would likely include guard Buddy Hield, forward Marvin Bagley III and one or more future first-round draft picks. That might not be enough to bring the Raptors to the table, but Hield’s $22.4 million salary and Bagley’s $11.3 million salary align perfectly with what Siakam makes.
The Raptors would get one of the game’s most prolific 3-point shooters in Hield with a descending salary structure that will pay him $20.5 million in 2022-23 and $18.5 million in 2023-24. They would also get an opportunity to unlock the full potential of Bagley, a 22-year-old former No. 2 pick who should be highly motivated in the final year of his rookie deal after three injury-plagued seasons.
The Kings — mired in a 15-year postseason drought — would improve their playoff chances with a lineup featuring De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Harrison Barnes, Siakam and Richaun Holmes. Sacramento re-signed Holmes to a four-year, $46.5 million contract last week. Many believed the Kings would have to trade Hield or Bagley in a salary dump to clear enough cap space to re-sign Holmes, who was reportedly seeking $20 million per year.
Instead, McNair managed to retain Holmes at a much lower figure using his Early Bird Rights, a huge win that could allow the Kings to package Hield and Bagley together in a bigger deal to bring a more established star to Sacramento. Siakam might not be the one, but McNair is clearly trying to position himself to make a major move.
This story was originally published August 9, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
