The Raptors star put word out that he would not entertain contract extension talks with any team that might have traded for him in the lead-up to Thursday’s draft.
www.thestar.com
It wasn’t exactly an “I am Toronto” proclamation or a “Don’t worry, I got us” promise that once ushered in a new Raptors era.
But what Pascal Siakam did this week made it clear Toronto is where he wants to be.
It wasn’t public, like DeMar DeRozan’s statements in a bygone time, but Siakam put word out that he would not entertain contract extension talks with any team that might have traded for him in the lead-up to Thursday’s draft. That should resonate here and throughout the league.
Here is a 29-year-old with impeccable credentials — two all-star game appearances, an all-NBA team berth, a most-improved player award — who, according to sources close to him, would like nothing better than to finish his career here as the longest-serving Raptors player. Warning off suitors this week was a sign of his intentions.
Siakam had a get-to-know-you dinner with Darko Rajakovic last week in Florida, one of several face-to-face sessions the new head coach had with Raptors over the 10 days. There seems to be a new era of enthusiasm around a group of Raptors who appeared to get stale in the final months of Nick Nurse’s tenure. Siakam wants to stay for as long as he plays, and Gary Trent Jr., sensing opportunity, eschewed free agency this summer and opted in to the final year of his contract.
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Siakam is entering the final year of his contract and will be paid a team-high $37.9 million (U.S.) in 2023-24. He could sign an extension with the Raptors for up to four years and about $192 million.
At first blush, those may seem like astronomical numbers, and they are in comparison to any normal salary. But NBA contracts are only going to get more bloated as new money enters the system and if the last couple of weeks have reaffirmed anything, it’s that no NBA contract should ever be considered untradeable.
Getting Siakam on a long-term deal would give the Raptors cost certainty on an asset that is coveted by other teams. And if things go south in the next year or two, the contract is not crippling to move.
But it is the message that Siakam is sending that’s significant. He feels, as do many people in the organization, that last season’s 41-41 record was an aberration. Staleness, the sameness, injuries, a self-fulfilling prophecy that something was always going to hold the Raptors back all fed into a season devoid of fun, enthusiasm or any sustained success.
The Raptors still need some veteran depth — counting on a teenage rookie like Gradey Dick to have a consistent impact is asking too much — but half the battle is having players who are truly invested in the process, players who aren’t looking just to get theirs, here or somewhere else. Siakam has made it clear which side of the ledger he’s on.
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