Toronto Raptors traded OG Aunonoby to The New York Nicks in return Immanuel Quckley and RJ Barrett came to the Toronto-based franchise. They are set to make further changes to their roster, as it is expected that Pascal Siakam’s trade is inevitable. He is expected to make a move before the trade deadline on Feb 8.
The Pacers, Hawks, and Kings have all been interested in him previously. He’s averaging 21.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists a game this season making him suitable to play for any team. Even after being a good defender is often held back due to his inconsistency and average shooting abilities. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer both hinted toward the move.
“League personnel are certainly prepared for a Siakam trade to follow suit. Before this weekend’s deal, Siakam was the Toronto veteran whom rival executives were pegging as the most likely Raptor to be dealt, particularly after the team nearly sent Siakam to the Atlanta Hawks this summer,” league sources revealed to Yahoo Sports.
The Raptors are building their squad around Scottie Barnes who has become Raptor’s primary shot creator. They already have a talented core with Barnes, Barrett, and Quickley. Raptors are planning to bring in more new players by trading Siakam.
Siakam recently opened up about the buzz surrounding his trade: “I wanna be happy. I wanna play meaningful basketball. I wanna win.”
"I wanna be happy. I wanna play meaningful basketball. I wanna win." Siakam said this trade does nothing to change his mindset.
— (((Eric Koreen))) (@ekoreen) December 31, 2023
Playing basketball and winning is all that matters to him. Staying loyal to the Raptors all these years this move is surely going to affect him to some extent but he is focusing on his game, not on the buzz around him.
“Changed” Raptors lose to a struggling Pistons side
The Pistons came out of their NBA record-breaking 28-game losing streak with a close 129-127 win over the Raptors.
Raptors after changes to their squad were expected to up a better performance. Raptors players were clearly devastated. They are sitting at 12th in the Eastern Conference and have lost four of their last five.
Siakam explained how he deals with his emotions after such tough situations. He opened up about how professional athletes deal with the pressure after such a shattering loss and changing scenarios.
“That’s the thing, right? We got to be robots and just move on. Because that’s what it is. We get paid for it. Right? So you got to move on,” he added.
“That's the thing right? We got to be robots and just move on. Because that's what it is. We get paid for it. Right? So you got to move on.”
– Pascal Siakam on processing the emotions around the trade leading up to the game against the Pistons pic.twitter.com/t1ZLzBakRr
— Savanna Hamilton (@SavHamilton11) December 31, 2023
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