Would you extend Pascal Siakam on a max deal?

[PerfectJab]

With all his flaws, players of his caliber do not grow on trees so it's not about whether I would it's about what the market dictates. This being said he's definitely going to command the max or close to it.

Regardless, it's wouldn't be an untradeable asset for it's his market value and one could argue by doing so you'd be maximizing the value of this asset.

It's kind of a no brainer.

[JN]

The team has 1 of 3 choices:

#1) Trade him at the deadline
2) Sign him to extension (likely max) pre deadline. evaluate, and keep or trade later.
3) Neither sign him to an extension pre-deadline, nor trade him.

There is only one stupid decision here - and that would be #3. The top 2 each have certain merits. Even with optimism from the recent trade, I still don't fully trust management to handle the trade deadline properly -- it has been a miss in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

[GP2]

Is there a need to outbid ourselves and max him? Which teams have that kind of money and interest? It'd be nice to pay at or below market value instead of just throwing the max like it's a foregone conclusion.

[JShuttlesworth]

No, I wouldn't

I don't think Siakam is a max player. If he was a max player, he'd be able to lead this roster to the playoffs no problem

Nothing more than 4-years, and no reason to pay him above market

[Public_Enemy101]

Just trade him already. Returns are going to be sh*t if you do it now or sh*t 2-3 years from now. By then, he’s going to be a +30 washed up star who can’t play D. Other teams are going to keep throwing out lowball offers because they know we still need to pay Barnes, Quickley and RJ.

[DelAbbot]

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/274282/Raptors-Pascal-Siakam-Nowhere-Close-On-Extension;-Warriors-Pacers-Interested


This news just proved 45% that voted for giving Siakam the max are idiots. Even Masai won't give Siakam the max

[Harcore Fenton Mun]

If he was a "max" player, we wouldn't be 15-24. I'm down with four years, five's off the table now imo.

[dagger]

If Woj is right that Pascal and the Raptors are far apart on an extension, then they have talked, and Masai isn't crazy. Few people on this board really think Pascal is worth the max, starting at what? $42,5 million rising up into the $50millions. Masai understand that with Scottie's first max coming up, giving so much to a second banana - a great second banana, mind you, but not a real max type - is a poor way to build around Scottie. And if Masai doesn't think Pascal is worth the max, then he isn't going to give it to him. Not today, not tomorrow and not in July. So I expect Pascal to be traded, but if he's screwing with Masai by telling all teams via his agent that he won't promise to sign with them, the return might be of less value than the cap space Pascal would take up. And if Masai doesn't think Pascal is worth the max, then some of the teams we assume will sign him for a max might not, I mean $50-$60 million ultimately for a second banana when every team has a 3-4-year cap window they have to consider. Indiana might be the only team that would entertain something like a max salary.

Masai should have traded Pascal a year ago, but it's also possible Siakam was sabotaging those talks with his "I won't sign with you talk". And he might even make some teams wonder prior to the deadline whether to hoard cap space for him for the summer, or go for other deals, because Pascal's agent has planted the seed of doubt in their minds.

When Fred left, the Raptors had no cap space, just the MLE and BIE. If there was a $16 million player who might have signed with Toronto, they couldn't offer $16 million. This summer, things might be a bit different. If Trent, Pascal, Otto and Thad are off the books, the Raptors ought to huge amount of cap space, even after giving Quickley a new deal. If there is a $16 million guy out there, fine, or even two $16 million guys, and that might be a better "deal" than a bad trade for Pascal so as not to lose him "for nothing". Or they can rent that cap space by taking on a longer term contract and a pick from a team flirting with the tax and worse, the new second apron! (I don't know how Memphis, for one, can clean up its finances and avoid the tax and possible the second apron without bribing a team to take on Brandon Clarke or Marcus Smart because their contracts extend beyond next season. And Ja's injury actually increases their chances of getting the first overall pick in June, in a weak draft, which would add another $11 million to that payroll.)

So I don't see Masai giving Pascal the max, period.

[DelAbbot]

If Woj is right that Pascal and the Raptors are far apart on an extension, then they have talked, and Masai isn't crazy. Few people on this board really think Pascal is worth the max, starting at what? $42,5 million rising up into the $50millions. Masai understand that with Scottie's first max coming up, giving so much to a second banana - a great second banana, mind you, but not a real max type - is a poor way to build around Scottie. And if Masai doesn't think Pascal is worth the max, then he isn't going to give it to him. Not today, not tomorrow and not in July. So I expect Pascal to be traded, but if he's screwing with Masai by telling all teams via his agent that he won't promise to sign with them, the return might be of less value than the cap space Pascal would take up. And if Masai doesn't think Pascal is worth the max, then some of the teams we assume will sign him for a max might not, I mean $50-$60 million ultimately for a second banana when every team has a 3-4-year cap window they have to consider. Indiana might be the only team that would entertain something like a max salary.

Masai should have traded Pascal a year ago, but it's also possible Siakam was sabotaging those talks with his "I won't sign with you talk". And he might even make some teams wonder prior to the deadline whether to hoard cap space for him for the summer, or go for other deals, because Pascal's agent has planted the seed of doubt in their minds.

When Fred left, the Raptors had no cap space, just the MLE and BIE. If there was a $16 million player who might have signed with Toronto, they couldn't offer $16 million. This summer, things might be a bit different. If Trent, Pascal, Otto and Thad are off the books, the Raptors ought to huge amount of cap space, even after giving Quickley a new deal. If there is a $16 million guy out there, fine, or even two $16 million guys, and that might be a better "deal" than a bad trade for Pascal so as not to lose him "for nothing". Or they can rent that cap space by taking on a longer term contract and a pick from a team flirting with the tax and worse, the new second apron! (I don't know how Memphis, for one, can clean up its finances and avoid the tax and possible the second apron without bribing a team to take on Brandon Clarke or Marcus Smart because their contracts extend beyond next season. And Ja's injury actually increases their chances of getting the first overall pick in June, in a weak draft, which would add another $11 million to that payroll.)

So I don't see Masai giving Pascal the max, period.

All make sense.

I feel Siakam royally fcked Masai.

He refused to sign Max contracts previously to chase the supermax, while forgetting that the hand that fed him 1st option usage and role was Masai. What a ungrateful man.

Now there is no chance of supermax, Siakam continue to fck with Masai by telling all potential trade partners he won't sign - killing all our leverage and again forcing Masai to give him the regular max to not risk him leaving for nothing. This is some next level sh....

[SpezNc]

Let’s say we trade Siakam for expiring or let him walk for nothing.
Let’s say Trent/Young/Temple/Porter walk as well.

Am I correct to assume that we can have as much as 38,7 M in cap space? See my calc below.

Assuming we qualify Quickley, sign UFA and only then extend him. In order to maximize the fact his value his significantly lower than his cap hold?

I know it might not be Masai’s plan but I would trade Siakam along with McDaniel for expiring + pick should we are unable to get grade A asset.

Then the plan would be to use that cap space wisely to surround BBQ.

I know losing Siakam would hurt on short term. But I think there is an opportunity cost to sign him to a max deal on long term.

Just does not fit Barnes timeline

2023-24 Cap Hold
RJ Barrett $25,794,643
Scottie Barnes $10,130,980
Jakob Poeltl $19,500,000
Dennis Schröder $13,025,250
Gradey Dick $4,763,760
Immanuel Quickley $12,510,000
Jalen McDaniels $4,741,800
Christian Koloko $2,019,699
Chris Boucher $10,810,000

Total Cap hold $103,296,132
Salary cap $142,000,000
Cap space $38,703,868

[mtcan]

Let’s say we trade Siakam for expiring or let him walk for nothing.
Let’s say Trent/Young/Temple/Porter walk as well.

Am I correct to assume that we can have as much as 38,7 M in cap space? See my calc below.

Assuming we qualify Quickley, sign UFA and only then extend him. In order to maximize the fact his value his significantly lower than his cap hold?

I know it might not be Masai’s plan but I would trade Siakam along with McDaniel for expiring + pick should we are unable to get grade A asset.

Then the plan would be to use that cap space wisely to surround BBQ.

I know losing Siakam would hurt on short term. But I think there is an opportunity cost to sign him to a max deal on long term.

Just does not fit Barnes timeline

2023-24 Cap Hold
RJ Barrett $25,794,643
Scottie Barnes $10,130,980
Jakob Poeltl $19,500,000
Dennis Schröder $13,025,250
Gradey Dick $4,763,760
Immanuel Quickley $12,510,000
Jalen McDaniels $4,741,800
Christian Koloko $2,019,699
Chris Boucher $10,810,000

Total Cap hold $103,296,132
Salary cap $142,000,000
Cap space $38,703,868

Cap space is nice but what's better is signing him to the max then trading him as soon as he's eligible. Teams don't want to give you their good assets when he is an expiring contract...so then get him signed now then trade him later on.

[SpezNc]

Let’s say we trade Siakam for expiring or let him walk for nothing.
Let’s say Trent/Young/Temple/Porter walk as well.

Am I correct to assume that we can have as much as 38,7 M in cap space? See my calc below.

Assuming we qualify Quickley, sign UFA and only then extend him. In order to maximize the fact his value his significantly lower than his cap hold?

I know it might not be Masai’s plan but I would trade Siakam along with McDaniel for expiring + pick should we are unable to get grade A asset.

Then the plan would be to use that cap space wisely to surround BBQ.

I know losing Siakam would hurt on short term. But I think there is an opportunity cost to sign him to a max deal on long term.

Just does not fit Barnes timeline

2023-24 Cap Hold
RJ Barrett $25,794,643
Scottie Barnes $10,130,980
Jakob Poeltl $19,500,000
Dennis Schröder $13,025,250
Gradey Dick $4,763,760
Immanuel Quickley $12,510,000
Jalen McDaniels $4,741,800
Christian Koloko $2,019,699
Chris Boucher $10,810,000

Total Cap hold $103,296,132
Salary cap $142,000,000
Cap space $38,703,868

Cap space is nice but what's better is signing him to the max then trading him as soon as he's eligible. Teams don't want to give you their good assets when he is an expiring contract...so then get him signed now then trade him later on.

You might not get a much better trade offer if he is extended to the max. There is obviously more clarity for the opposing team but it’s not a guarantee offer would be higher. If he signed back with us during summer and he has a bad start of season next year, it might be even more difficult to trade him.

At the end of the day, it’s all come down if it’s contract is on par with his on play performance. As long as he plays like a max / borderline max contract, I don’t think there is an issue but if the organization think that he is not worth a max contract then trade him and move on might be the play here.

A suivre.

[Vampirate]

If Woj is right that Pascal and the Raptors are far apart on an extension, then they have talked, and Masai isn't crazy. Few people on this board really think Pascal is worth the max, starting at what? $42,5 million rising up into the $50millions. Masai understand that with Scottie's first max coming up, giving so much to a second banana - a great second banana, mind you, but not a real max type - is a poor way to build around Scottie. And if Masai doesn't think Pascal is worth the max, then he isn't going to give it to him. Not today, not tomorrow and not in July. So I expect Pascal to be traded, but if he's screwing with Masai by telling all teams via his agent that he won't promise to sign with them, the return might be of less value than the cap space Pascal would take up. And if Masai doesn't think Pascal is worth the max, then some of the teams we assume will sign him for a max might not, I mean $50-$60 million ultimately for a second banana when every team has a 3-4-year cap window they have to consider. Indiana might be the only team that would entertain something like a max salary.

Masai should have traded Pascal a year ago, but it's also possible Siakam was sabotaging those talks with his "I won't sign with you talk". And he might even make some teams wonder prior to the deadline whether to hoard cap space for him for the summer, or go for other deals, because Pascal's agent has planted the seed of doubt in their minds.

When Fred left, the Raptors had no cap space, just the MLE and BIE. If there was a $16 million player who might have signed with Toronto, they couldn't offer $16 million. This summer, things might be a bit different. If Trent, Pascal, Otto and Thad are off the books, the Raptors ought to huge amount of cap space, even after giving Quickley a new deal. If there is a $16 million guy out there, fine, or even two $16 million guys, and that might be a better "deal" than a bad trade for Pascal so as not to lose him "for nothing". Or they can rent that cap space by taking on a longer term contract and a pick from a team flirting with the tax and worse, the new second apron! (I don't know how Memphis, for one, can clean up its finances and avoid the tax and possible the second apron without bribing a team to take on Brandon Clarke or Marcus Smart because their contracts extend beyond next season. And Ja's injury actually increases their chances of getting the first overall pick in June, in a weak draft, which would add another $11 million to that payroll.)

So I don't see Masai giving Pascal the max, period.

Very possible, and if so I think Siakam didn't want to get traded because then the Supermax would be off the table.

In any event, Siakam is worth the max only if you already have a #1 Championship type option, we don't.

[mtcan]

Let’s say we trade Siakam for expiring or let him walk for nothing.
Let’s say Trent/Young/Temple/Porter walk as well.

Am I correct to assume that we can have as much as 38,7 M in cap space? See my calc below.

Assuming we qualify Quickley, sign UFA and only then extend him. In order to maximize the fact his value his significantly lower than his cap hold?

I know it might not be Masai’s plan but I would trade Siakam along with McDaniel for expiring + pick should we are unable to get grade A asset.

Then the plan would be to use that cap space wisely to surround BBQ.

I know losing Siakam would hurt on short term. But I think there is an opportunity cost to sign him to a max deal on long term.

Just does not fit Barnes timeline

2023-24 Cap Hold
RJ Barrett $25,794,643
Scottie Barnes $10,130,980
Jakob Poeltl $19,500,000
Dennis Schröder $13,025,250
Gradey Dick $4,763,760
Immanuel Quickley $12,510,000
Jalen McDaniels $4,741,800
Christian Koloko $2,019,699
Chris Boucher $10,810,000

Total Cap hold $103,296,132
Salary cap $142,000,000
Cap space $38,703,868

Cap space is nice but what's better is signing him to the max then trading him as soon as he's eligible. Teams don't want to give you their good assets when he is an expiring contract...so then get him signed now then trade him later on.

You might not get a much better trade offer if he is extended to the max. There is obviously more clarity for the opposing team but it’s not a guarantee offer would be higher. If he signed back with us during summer and he has a bad start of season next year, it might be even more difficult to trade him.

At the end of the day, it’s all come down if it’s contract is on par with his on play performance. As long as he plays like a max / borderline max contract, I don’t think there is an issue but if the organization think that he is not worth a max contract then trade him and move on might be the play here.

A suivre.

That's why you extend him in the next month and then trade him in the summer...6 months after signing the extension. If the sticking point or negotiating tactic is to say that you won't give up assets on a rental...well he won't be a rental anymore signed for 4 more years.

[Basketball_Jones]

I’m just glad we aren’t stuck nearly maxing OG. With Siakam I’m kind of indifferent. I think we need depth still up front, but I’ll admit his game looks better and more impactful when Poetl is there and he’s hitting his 3’s like he is these days. Otherwise he does seem more empty stats kind of guys.

[SpezNc]

Cap space is nice but what's better is signing him to the max then trading him as soon as he's eligible. Teams don't want to give you their good assets when he is an expiring contract...so then get him signed now then trade him later on.

You might not get a much better trade offer if he is extended to the max. There is obviously more clarity for the opposing team but it’s not a guarantee offer would be higher. If he signed back with us during summer and he has a bad start of season next year, it might be even more difficult to trade him.

At the end of the day, it’s all come down if it’s contract is on par with his on play performance. As long as he plays like a max / borderline max contract, I don’t think there is an issue but if the organization think that he is not worth a max contract then trade him and move on might be the play here.

A suivre.

That's why you extend him in the next month and then trade him in the summer...6 months after signing the extension. If the sticking point or negotiating tactic is to say that you won't give up assets on a rental...well he won't be a rental anymore signed for 4 more years.

Agree that it’s an option worth considering .

Would not ge surprised if it’s already Masai’s contingency plan

[SpezNc]

I’m just glad we aren’t stuck nearly maxing OG. With Siakam I’m kind of indifferent. I think we need depth still up front, but I’ll admit his game looks better and more impactful when Poetl is there and he’s hitting his 3’s like he is these days. Otherwise he does seem more empty stats kind of guys.

Agree.

Even if O.G was fitting Barnes’s timeline maxing O.G while being a mid team was a recipe for disaster

RJ+IQ is likely to be 10M more than O.G but we have now two starting piece that perfectly fit Barnes’s timeline.

If we can find a cheaper 3&D SF as part of Siakam’s trading package that would be great.

[Tacoma]

If Woj is right that Pascal and the Raptors are far apart on an extension, then they have talked, and Masai isn't crazy. Few people on this board really think Pascal is worth the max, starting at what? $42,5 million rising up into the $50millions. Masai understand that with Scottie's first max coming up, giving so much to a second banana - a great second banana, mind you, but not a real max type - is a poor way to build around Scottie. And if Masai doesn't think Pascal is worth the max, then he isn't going to give it to him. Not today, not tomorrow and not in July. So I expect Pascal to be traded, but if he's screwing with Masai by telling all teams via his agent that he won't promise to sign with them, the return might be of less value than the cap space Pascal would take up. And if Masai doesn't think Pascal is worth the max, then some of the teams we assume will sign him for a max might not, I mean $50-$60 million ultimately for a second banana when every team has a 3-4-year cap window they have to consider. Indiana might be the only team that would entertain something like a max salary.

Masai should have traded Pascal a year ago, but it's also possible Siakam was sabotaging those talks with his "I won't sign with you talk". And he might even make some teams wonder prior to the deadline whether to hoard cap space for him for the summer, or go for other deals, because Pascal's agent has planted the seed of doubt in their minds.

When Fred left, the Raptors had no cap space, just the MLE and BIE. If there was a $16 million player who might have signed with Toronto, they couldn't offer $16 million. This summer, things might be a bit different. If Trent, Pascal, Otto and Thad are off the books, the Raptors ought to huge amount of cap space, even after giving Quickley a new deal. If there is a $16 million guy out there, fine, or even two $16 million guys, and that might be a better "deal" than a bad trade for Pascal so as not to lose him "for nothing". Or they can rent that cap space by taking on a longer term contract and a pick from a team flirting with the tax and worse, the new second apron! (I don't know how Memphis, for one, can clean up its finances and avoid the tax and possible the second apron without bribing a team to take on Brandon Clarke or Marcus Smart because their contracts extend beyond next season. And Ja's injury actually increases their chances of getting the first overall pick in June, in a weak draft, which would add another $11 million to that payroll.)

So I don't see Masai giving Pascal the max, period.

All make sense.

I feel Siakam royally fcked Masai.

He refused to sign Max contracts previously to chase the supermax, while forgetting that the hand that fed him 1st option usage and role was Masai. What a ungrateful man.

Now there is no chance of supermax, Siakam continue to fck with Masai by telling all potential trade partners he won't sign - killing all our leverage and again forcing Masai to give him the regular max to not risk him leaving for nothing. This is some next level sh....

Siakam didn’t royally “fcked Masai,” Masai did it to himself by waiting until his contract year to try and trade him and giving Siakam control over his own fate.

Siakam is simply exercising his right as an unrestricted free agent to be able to choose where he wants to go. Why should he give up that right by agreeing to sign with the team that Masai wants to trade him to?

When Masai traded DeRozan, was he being ungrateful to DeRozan? Of course not, it was business. It goes both ways. If a player wants to exercise his right to choose where he wants to go, that’s also business.

[JN]

If Woj is right that Pascal and the Raptors are far apart on an extension, then they have talked, and Masai isn't crazy. Few people on this board really think Pascal is worth the max, starting at what? $42,5 million rising up into the $50millions. Masai understand that with Scottie's first max coming up, giving so much to a second banana - a great second banana, mind you, but not a real max type - is a poor way to build around Scottie. And if Masai doesn't think Pascal is worth the max, then he isn't going to give it to him. Not today, not tomorrow and not in July. So I expect Pascal to be traded, but if he's screwing with Masai by telling all teams via his agent that he won't promise to sign with them, the return might be of less value than the cap space Pascal would take up. And if Masai doesn't think Pascal is worth the max, then some of the teams we assume will sign him for a max might not, I mean $50-$60 million ultimately for a second banana when every team has a 3-4-year cap window they have to consider. Indiana might be the only team that would entertain something like a max salary.

Masai should have traded Pascal a year ago, but it's also possible Siakam was sabotaging those talks with his "I won't sign with you talk". And he might even make some teams wonder prior to the deadline whether to hoard cap space for him for the summer, or go for other deals, because Pascal's agent has planted the seed of doubt in their minds.

When Fred left, the Raptors had no cap space, just the MLE and BIE. If there was a $16 million player who might have signed with Toronto, they couldn't offer $16 million. This summer, things might be a bit different. If Trent, Pascal, Otto and Thad are off the books, the Raptors ought to huge amount of cap space, even after giving Quickley a new deal. If there is a $16 million guy out there, fine, or even two $16 million guys, and that might be a better "deal" than a bad trade for Pascal so as not to lose him "for nothing". Or they can rent that cap space by taking on a longer term contract and a pick from a team flirting with the tax and worse, the new second apron! (I don't know how Memphis, for one, can clean up its finances and avoid the tax and possible the second apron without bribing a team to take on Brandon Clarke or Marcus Smart because their contracts extend beyond next season. And Ja's injury actually increases their chances of getting the first overall pick in June, in a weak draft, which would add another $11 million to that payroll.)

So I don't see Masai giving Pascal the max, period.

All make sense.

I feel Siakam royally fcked Masai.

He refused to sign Max contracts previously to chase the supermax, while forgetting that the hand that fed him 1st option usage and role was Masai. What a ungrateful man.

Now there is no chance of supermax, Siakam continue to fck with Masai by telling all potential trade partners he won't sign - killing all our leverage and again forcing Masai to give him the regular max to not risk him leaving for nothing. This is some next level sh....

TLDR version (same as my post in other thread) - You publicly call a player selfish, and then expect them to work with you to get trade leverage or contract leverage? That's a bold strategy Cotton.

--------------

I understand Siakam asking for the Max in the summer
And I also fully understand management saying no

Then management came out with the bold strategy right from the start of camp to openly (without naming names) call him selfish and essentially cancerous. Siakam might be flawed, especially in crunch time, and he may well not be worth the max, but I don't think the selfish labels were fair. You think that was a great strategy to get somebody to want to work with you (contract wise or trade wise) when you are already in a really bad leverage position hitting pending UFA status with a player?

If the team has taken shots at you, why are you trying to maximize their return, instead of trying to minimize what your new team gives to get you. It's a strategy that has been commonly employed by many players -- the exception being Kawhi Leonard when the tried to GM the Clips.

As for this being a ploy to get the max. This is also on the Raps - they dug a hole in their contractual leverage by taking shots at him. With a handful of suitors looking to have strong cap space next year, the Raptors know the only alternative to keep him is the max. They lost negotiation leverage by flaming the relationship.

I'm not saying Pascal has been perfect here. But if I have to assign blame here on a potential return, I think its more a case of Masai **** Masai. Waiting until one's pending UFA year, and then throwing some flames out there, is always going to present increased leverage issues.

This management team is not beyond CYA. They have lost lots of leverage with their indecision and actions, and now it seems they are going to shift the narrative as far away from themselves when the return has been likely deflated.

[AkelaLoneWolf]

If Woj is right that Pascal and the Raptors are far apart on an extension, then they have talked, and Masai isn't crazy. Few people on this board really think Pascal is worth the max, starting at what? $42,5 million rising up into the $50millions. Masai understand that with Scottie's first max coming up, giving so much to a second banana - a great second banana, mind you, but not a real max type - is a poor way to build around Scottie. And if Masai doesn't think Pascal is worth the max, then he isn't going to give it to him. Not today, not tomorrow and not in July. So I expect Pascal to be traded, but if he's screwing with Masai by telling all teams via his agent that he won't promise to sign with them, the return might be of less value than the cap space Pascal would take up. And if Masai doesn't think Pascal is worth the max, then some of the teams we assume will sign him for a max might not, I mean $50-$60 million ultimately for a second banana when every team has a 3-4-year cap window they have to consider. Indiana might be the only team that would entertain something like a max salary.

Masai should have traded Pascal a year ago, but it's also possible Siakam was sabotaging those talks with his "I won't sign with you talk". And he might even make some teams wonder prior to the deadline whether to hoard cap space for him for the summer, or go for other deals, because Pascal's agent has planted the seed of doubt in their minds.

When Fred left, the Raptors had no cap space, just the MLE and BIE. If there was a $16 million player who might have signed with Toronto, they couldn't offer $16 million. This summer, things might be a bit different. If Trent, Pascal, Otto and Thad are off the books, the Raptors ought to huge amount of cap space, even after giving Quickley a new deal. If there is a $16 million guy out there, fine, or even two $16 million guys, and that might be a better "deal" than a bad trade for Pascal so as not to lose him "for nothing". Or they can rent that cap space by taking on a longer term contract and a pick from a team flirting with the tax and worse, the new second apron! (I don't know how Memphis, for one, can clean up its finances and avoid the tax and possible the second apron without bribing a team to take on Brandon Clarke or Marcus Smart because their contracts extend beyond next season. And Ja's injury actually increases their chances of getting the first overall pick in June, in a weak draft, which would add another $11 million to that payroll.)

So I don't see Masai giving Pascal the max, period.

its all about asset management; even if you don't think siakam is worth the max, you still sign him and trade him away in a year or two. cap space is worth less to us than an overpaid siakam. There are no great FA available next year and no one wants to come here unless they are overpaid.