Siakam Is On The List Of Draft Pick Trade Targets
Being an NBA team means you are the subject of a plethora of rumors, and oftentimes they are weak on the truth.
But this time for the Warriors, it’s different – Golden State has the No. 7 and No. 14 picks in the 2021 NBA Draft, with a blue-chip prospect in 2020 No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman also in tow as a trade piece. Suffice it to say, upcoming rumors probably have more validity than the dime-a-dozen edits of Giannis Antetokounmpo wearing blue and gold on social media.
The Athletic columnist John Hollinger threw a significant lob into trade discourse Monday, speculating Bob Myers would trade the Warriors’ seventh pick – acquired in 2020 from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a deal involving Andrew Wiggins and D’Angelo Russell – and Wiseman for 27-year-old Toronto Raptors’ frontcourt star Pascal Siakam.
Golden State fans got their most memorable look at the Cameroonian rim runner in the 2019 NBA Finals, which the team lost in six games as injuries to Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant rubbed salt in the Warriors’ wounds and continue to shape the trajectory of the team to this day.
Siakam opened up the series in Toronto with a team-high 32 points on 14-of-17 from the field, and ended with 19.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game as the Raptors took home the NBA title. He also got an All-Star and All-NBA nod in 2019-20 after taking home Most Improved Player honors in Toronto’s championship season. He has shot over 60% on two-point shots twice in his career, and still put up 21.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in a disappointing team season with the Raptors finishing 12th in the Eastern Conference playing from Tampa Bay.
The 27th overall pick in 2016, Siakam has length and athleticism the Golden State frontcourt could use, and has paired nicely with former Santa Cruz Warrior Chris Boucher – who also utilized his wingspan successfully for Nick Nurse this season.
Siakam and Wiseman share physical gifts useful to any starting five, but also share the dubious similarity of recent significant injuries. Wiseman tore his right meniscus in April to cut short his rookie campaign, while Siakam is coming off of surgery for a torn labrum which could keep him off the floor through late 2021.
Kevon Looney, who picked up his player option Tuesday and started at center in 2021 after Wiseman’s injury, also figures to be a major player in Golden State’s 2021-22 frontcourt, but is more than capable of taking on another reserve role if Siakam were to be acquired.
The incentive for trading one or both of their first rounders would be to increase the team’s prospects at winning in 2021-22, with Thompson’s return from multiple injuries coinciding with the back ends of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green’s best playing days.
Siakam might not be able to contribute until after the start of the season, but in the prime age of his playing career has three years remaining on his four-year, $136.9M deal signed in October 2019. Wiseman would likely be included in any trade, and it would be a tough choice – one I am happy to not have to make – to part with the raw talent after a short stint in the NBA.
Waiting begets speculation, and both armchair GMs and those in actual front offices will discuss Siakam to the Warriors for draft picks as one of many possibilities in the next month before the July 29 draft, guessing what any news means for Wiseman and Golden State’s championship window going forward.