Opinion: Pascal Siakam and OG will not be traded this season

[DelAbbot]

Nearly the entire board has been calling for Masai to trade either Pascal Siakam or OG or both, for the benefit of the Raptors long term.

I think there is 0 chance of this happening before this season's trade deadline.
Here is why:


If Masai trades either Pascal Siakam or OG, he risks this team falling apart to the bottom of the standings. However, not deep enough, because as long as Scottie is here we won't out-lose the real tanking teams like Det, Was, Cha, SA, Portland. With Chi and Utah likely to join the tankathon, chances are we end up 6th/7th worst after trading off Pascal Siakam or OG, which has the risk of ping pong balls propelling team(s) up the lottery and pushing our 2024 FRP to the 7th/8th and deliver a high lottery pick to the Spurs after a horrendous bottom 6/7 record.

That is job threatening for a GM / President.

What do you think Masai is going to choose:
1) Chugging along with a 35-40 wins season, delivering a 2024 FRP 10-15 range to the Spurs and attempt re-signing both Pascal Siakam and OG in the offseason? This way Masai can proclaim, this has been a rebuilding season (excusing the poor record), and a 2024 FRP 10-15 is worth Poeltl (possibly)

or

2) Trade Pascal Siakam or/and OG for a future core of young players / FRPs, better aligned with Scottie's timeline, tank this year to bottom 4th record to have a high probability of retaining the 2024 FRP in a supposedly weak draft? Doing this and risking being fired (or placed on the hot seat) over the optics of a bottom 6th/7th record but without a lottery pick (conveyed to Spurs for a center who cannot see the floor to finish games)?



Given Masai's history of inaction and kicking the can down the road (aka "evaluate") it's abundantly clear he will choose option 1) and not trade Pascal Siakam or OG. Additionally, considering Masai's emotional attachment to his own drafted players, he will not trade them.

Pascal Siakam or OG will be back on new long term contracts in 2024/2025, unless either of them pulls another FVV and leaves. You can bookmark this prediction (NinjaBro!).

[NotMyKawhi]

explain why Pascal and OG would re-sign w the 7th worst team who just missed the playoffs and lost a lottery pick? Do i even want them if they'd re-sign? they obviously dont care about winning

[ItsDanger]

Time for Rogers/Bell to step in.

[Los_29]

explain why Pascal and OG would re-sign w the 7th worst team who just missed the playoffs and lost a lottery pick? Do i even want them if they'd re-sign? they obviously dont care about winning

Never heard of anyone claiming that OG and Pascal don't care about winning. Everything I've seen suggests the opposite. The reality is, players go where the money is. They'd be dumb not too.

[NinjaBro]

Bookmarked and screenshot. I'm ready DelAbbot

"Jeremy Lin coming to the Raptors that season was as huge to me as Kawhi Leonard" - Alex Wong

[Raps in 4]

I agree. I've been saying this all season. Masai doesn't trade players he drafted. He also doesn't do teardowns.

This team will complete the season as is (we might add a piece or two at the the deadline again via trade for a future FRP). Then he'll try to retain both players in the off-season, but more than likely, one or both will walk.

[MiamiSPX]

This is what I have been saying all along. My prediction has always been Siakam walks, and OG re-signs a max deal.

However, I think OG wants out. Zero evidence of this, just assume Indy was talking about him when they strangely referenced not having an issue re-signing any new acquisitions. He and Haliburton also seem to be extremely friendly.

However my point stands, neither will get traded, and at least one of them will walk for nothing. I will gladly enjoy being clowned on if I am wrong.

[PhilBlackson]

I don't even think it needed a long explanation...Masai is a board member now & he's trying to make his fellow chairmen more money, that's THE reason why he wouldn't make a trade. But I have no idea if he will or will not finally pull the trigger on a deal. It's unbelievably looking less likely if he doesn't by month end so which ever incumbent team for Pascal could offer him a 4 year deal.

But by the end of January our record should be so bad that he couldn't possibly have a good justification for holding onto these guys with no extensions in place and I'm dead serious that a petition to have him & Bobby fired should happen the second the deadline passes without a significant trade made. This bs is completely unacceptable.

[DatHomieYouHaTe]

I don't think they trade them either.. You are not gonna get good value for guys that are about to be free agents unless a knock your socks off move comes from some team. We don't even have a pick and we could never catch the current crappy teams in the league because they have already built an amazing tank. Poeltl being traded is a better possibility to be fair if anyone wants him...

[NBA Sheady]

Messiah checks in

[TorontoBarneys]

I honestly have no idea what should happen. At this point, there's no direction that looks genuinely appealing. I would hesitate to force anything right now. Masai & Bobby have dragged this through the mud so long that they forced us into their approach of wait & see by necessity.

[Dude-niagara]

Time for Rogers/Bell to step in.

Nothing changes until the narcissist is fired, he is living off the title Leonard gave him and is happy to do nothing. Look at the people he surrounds himself with. Could have hired a big name HC in JJ Reddick but Masai prefers having puppets and yes people .

I just hope Larry retires soon and MLSE gets rid of this used car salesmen

[Potential]

We all know what they should do. The only question is will they do the right thing? Trade this failure of a roster for young players with potential/picks to grow with Scottie

[deck]

I think the chance OG re-signs here is quite low. Could be in my head, but he seems pretty disengaged lately and I am not sure I can blame him for that.

I can see Siakam being re-signed, as he just generally seems pretty comfortable with where he is.

I don't see Masai committing to any kind of long term rebuild. If they do trade both, I expect it will be in an attempt to bring back players that they can at least make a show of competing.

I do see us conveying the pick to SA this year, likely in the 10 to 13 range.

[ArthurVandelay]

If Masai trades either Pascal Siakam or OG, he risks this team falling apart to the bottom of the standings.

They are already 7th worst. At this point, who cares?

I think there is a chance that a trade for either that returns NBA players could lead to a team improvement.

LaVine goes out and bulls start winning.
Gay is traded and Raptors start a decade run.

You can have good, talented players and be better without them.

I’m at that point because this team sucks. And if they are worse? Again, so what at this point.

[NotMyKawhi]

explain why Pascal and OG would re-sign w the 7th worst team who just missed the playoffs and lost a lottery pick? Do i even want them if they'd re-sign? they obviously dont care about winning

Never heard of anyone claiming that OG and Pascal don't care about winning. Everything I've seen suggests the opposite. The reality is, players go where the money is. They'd be dumb not too.

If they sign to the 7th worst team in their prime they dont care about winning.

[Scase]

If Masai trades either Pascal Siakam or OG, he risks this team falling apart to the bottom of the standings.

They are already 7th worst. At this point, who cares?

I think there is a chance that a trade for either that returns NBA players could lead to a team improvement.

LaVine goes out and bulls start winning.
Gay is traded and Raptors start a decade run.

You can have good, talented players and be better without them.

I’m at that point because this team sucks. And if they are worse? Again, so what at this point.

I agree with you in theory, but in reality Del is probably right. Masai has shown nothing but inaction, and there's nothing to suggest that will change.

I will happily be wrong, but he's not exactly giving people a reason to think otherwise.

[JShuttlesworth]

I'd say it's about 70 / 30

70% chance they aren't traded, 30% chance that they are. I fully expect the trade deadline to come and go without a move being made

I think there's a really good chance that we end up losing one of them (or both) in Free Agency. It's hard to imagine these guys enjoy being part of this mess we have here, especially after watching Fred bolt and get paid last year.

[Dude-niagara]

Nearly the entire board has been calling for Masai to trade either Pascal Siakam or OG or both, for the benefit of the Raptors long term.

I think there is 0 chance of this happening before this season's trade deadline.
Here is why:


If Masai trades either Pascal Siakam or OG, he risks this team falling apart to the bottom of the standings. However, not deep enough, because as long as Scottie is here we won't out-lose the real tanking teams like Det, Was, Cha, SA, Portland. With Chi and Utah likely to join the tankathon, chances are we end up 6th/7th worst after trading off Pascal Siakam or OG, which has the risk of ping pong balls propelling team(s) up the lottery and pushing our 2024 FRP to the 7th/8th and deliver a high lottery pick to the Spurs after a horrendous bottom 6/7 record.

That is job threatening for a GM / President.

What do you think Masai is going to choose:
1) Chugging along with a 35-40 wins season, delivering a 2024 FRP 10-15 range to the Spurs and attempt re-signing both Pascal Siakam and OG in the offseason? This way Masai can proclaim, this has been a rebuilding season (excusing the poor record), and a 2024 FRP 10-15 is worth Poeltl (possibly)

or

2) Trade Pascal Siakam or/and OG for a future core of young players / FRPs, better aligned with Scottie's timeline, tank this year to bottom 4th record to have a high probability of retaining the 2024 FRP in a supposedly weak draft? Doing this and risking being fired (or placed on the hot seat) over the optics of a bottom 6th/7th record but without a lottery pick (conveyed to Spurs for a center who cannot see the floor to finish games)?



Given Masai's history of inaction and kicking the can down the road (aka "evaluate") it's abundantly clear he will choose option 1) and not trade Pascal Siakam or OG. Additionally, considering Masai's emotional attachment to his own drafted players, he will not trade them.

Pascal Siakam or OG will be back on new long term contracts in 2024/2025, unless either of them pulls another FVV and leaves. You can bookmark this prediction (NinjaBro!).

I think this was all intentionally done, he could have got something decent in the summer and they played games knowing that offers at the deadline would be weak and easy to turn down. He needs to be fired 10 way more then Colangelo because at least he would be seen and try and make a deal to shake things up if things were going bad.

I think Masai knows it won't be like last time where he can use the fear of going to another team to get another contract. There is no question in my mind that he has totally damaged his reputation in this league. As much as that Leonard built his reputation as a big time trade maker, since then he has fked the dog and essentially burned bridges with all teams in this league.

His end game was making sure Pascal got at least a max contract and left open the possibility of a supermax if the team did well. Remember Pascal is his boy and I am they were both not happy seeing the Celtics give Brown a Supermax contract. Right now Masai's only mission is to get everyone including himself as much money as possible and winning is not important because they can just point the chip season and say "what have the Leafs won"

[Harry Palmer]

Scottie alone will not keep us out of the high lottery. Not yet, anyways.