Report: Raptors told Pascal Siakam they’re not looking to trade him

Last season, Raptors forward Pascal Siakam lagged behind the high level of play he displayed a couple years ago. He had attitude issues. Toronto just drafted somewhat-similarly styled forward Scottie Barnes No. 4.

That led to plenty of trade speculation about Siakam.

Sam Amick of The Athletic:

But sources say Ujiri has recently made it clear to Siakam’s side that he’s not being shopped, and that there’s a clear basketball vision here for how these pieces — old and new — can work.

sources say he still wants to be in Toronto

Of course, Raptors president Masai Ujiri infamously traded DeMar DeRozan after – in DeRozan’s retelling – assuring the wing he wouldn’t get dealt. So, Siakam should calibrate his security in Toronto accordingly.

Maybe Siakam and Barnes will complement each other well enough. They could form an absolutely devastating defensive tandem. But it’d sure help if at least one improved significantly as a 3-point shooter.

Siakam still has three years and $106,346,016 left on his contract. So, there’s plenty of time for him and Barnes to develop chemistry together – if the Raptors want.

Amick also reports Siakam and Nurse have gotten past their tension. That should help. So should leaving the bubble (where Siakam struggled) and returning to Toronto following a disjointed season in Tampa.