LOS ANGELES — Pascal Siakam is a man of few words — at least when it comes to the trade chatter that surrounds him.
Talk to anyone around the Toronto Raptors’ two-time All-NBA forward and you’ll hear about how he has mastered the art of not discussing the hot topic that is his own uncertain future. That intel was confirmed after Toronto fell 132-131 to the Lakers on Tuesday night, when I asked if it was flattering to be widely seen as one of the premier impact players known to be available heading into the Feb. 8 trade deadline and the following quote was the highlight of our brief chat.
“I’m doing what I can do as a player, so that’s expected,” said Siakam, the 29-year-old who is now averaging a team-high 22.2 points, along with 6.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
But here’s the thing about this time of year: What people say in front of the microphones means very little. As was on full display before the game, when the Crypto.com Arena sideline was flooded with media members, agents and front-office executives who all seemed to be analyzing the Siakam situation while he went through his warm-up, it’s the behind-the-scenes chatter that matters the most. And among the many interesting revelations that were learned during that time, this much is clear: Siakam would not be excited if he were traded to Sacramento.
Considering the Kings were known to be in serious talks with the Raptors about Siakam as recently as Friday, when they ended the talks, this is extremely relevant to the Sacramento calculus at hand. Here are the Kings, winning enough games to earn a fifth-place standing in the Western Conference but routinely losing in the kind of one-sided fashion that raises serious questions about their legitimacy as contenders, and they’re contemplating the notion of trading for a high-level player who is headed toward free agency this summer as a possible solution. To put it in proper pro sports parlance, it would be a rental. According to two league sources, the Kings should have very little — if any — optimism regarding the prospect of Siakam re-signing in the summer if they were to land him. With that in mind, it should surprise no one that the Kings are unwilling to include second-year forward Keegan Murray in a deal (who, by the way, had 32 points while hitting 13 of 17 shots and 5 of 9 3s in a win against Detroit on Tuesday night).
It remains possible that the Raptors and Siakam will agree on an extension, especially if the trade market is underwhelming enough that Toronto’s president, Masai Ujiri, decides to hold onto him past the deadline. But either way, Siakam is seeking a full-term, max-salary deal no matter where he ultimately lands. And while Siakam has not asked for a trade, the sources say he doesn’t view the Kings as a good long-term fit if the Raptors choose to move him.
All of which makes the Raptors’ game against the Kawhi Leonard-led Clippers on Wednesday night so perfectly ironic.
Whether it’s the Kings or any other team that is taking a serious look at Siakam — the Indiana Pacers are seen by some rival executives as the leaders in this pack — the factors in play are somewhat similar to those that led to Toronto’s trade with San Antonio for Leonard in the summer of 2018. There will be no promises made about his free agency future for any team, with the pursuing organization needing to roll the dice and hope for the kind of best-case scenario that unfolded when the Raptors won it all during their one season with Leonard in 2019. It’s a gamble, to be sure, one that the Kings and perhaps others are thinking twice about making. And with good reason.
So … how do the Lakers improve?
A quick admission at the start: I moved up this latest trip to Los Angeles by two days because of the news surrounding Lakers coach Darvin Ham and his locker room disconnect, reported on Thursday by Shams Charania and Lakers beat writer Jovan Buha. And after spending three days in town, which included three consecutive games at the building formerly known as Staples Center, I firmly believe the second-year coach isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
The results matter, of course, so it certainly helps that his embattled squad beat the intracity-rival Clippers and the Raptors after losing 13 of the previous 15 games. But beyond that, two high-ranking team sources say there is a plan to remain patient with Ham as he continues to grow in his first head coaching job.
As I wrote on Monday, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss sent a long text message to Ham reiterating her support in the wake of the report in The Athletic. For now, with the Lakers (19-19) sitting in the 10th spot in the West, that’s really about all that anyone needs to know, even if there are clearly significant issues that remain when it comes to the players. The hope from on high is that Ham can pull through, which means that improvement may have to come by way of trades — again.
In those months after Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka had a banner trade deadline in 2023, when they made that journey from a 2-10 start to a West finals berth, it seemed as if the Lakers’ new foundation would be good enough to contend going forward. But now, it seems, the stage is being set for another active deadline season in which significant change might be necessary for a second time.
The list of players being considered is no doubt long, but two in particular — Chicago’s Zach LaVine and Atlanta’s Dejounte Murray — come with such a rare dynamic to discuss. Both are represented by the same Klutch Sports agency that represents LeBron James and Anthony Davis, meaning the likelihood of internal support is high. This next month could be very interesting on that front.
The Spoelstra deal sparks LeBron — and Steve Kerr — chatter
Of course people in Laker Land noticed James’ supportive tweet of Miami’s Erik Spoelstra on Tuesday night. In a vacuum, there’s nothing noteworthy about him being happy for the Heat coach, who reportedly landed an eight-year, $120 million deal.
After all, they were partners for four years and won two titles while going to the NBA Finals every time out. But in light of the scrutiny surrounding Ham, and considering it had only been two nights since James’ effusive praise for another former coach, the Clippers’ Ty Lue, was far more glowing than his perspective on his current coach, it was only natural that the contrast would be highlighted.
Yet the more interesting observation relating to Spoelstra’s deal, from this vantage point, is that it will have an inevitable impact in the talks between Golden State coach Steve Kerr and owner Joe Lacob about his next deal. Before the Spoelstra contract, it was Detroit’s Monty Williams who was setting the bar so high (he signed a six-year, $72 million deal in May). But Kerr, whose contract expires after this season and who has twice as many coaching title belts as Spoelstra, has an even stronger argument for a massive payday now. Then again, only Lacob truly knows how he feels about the prospect of paying up on that sort of scale when his team currently is in shambles (17-19 and tied for 11th in the West).
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(Photo of Pascal Siakam: Tyler Ross / NBAE via Getty Images)