Add Paul George to the list of people who think Pascal Siakam would be an ideal trade target for the Warriors.
On a recent episode of "Podcast P with Paul George," the Clippers star explained why he thinks a deal centered around Siakam for Jonathan Kuminga could be a win for both sides.
"[Siakam] can be a No. 1 option, but that's not where he's the best at," said George. "I think him being the second or third option is where he can really shine because he's a guy that can do a little bit of everything. I think it works perfectly playing with Steph [Curry], playing with Klay [Thompson]. They spread the floor. He can rebound. He can playmake.
"Then Kuminga, coming into his own, Toronto's kind of in this rebuild but ready to get better and win now. They just traded for RJ [Barrett], [Immanuel] Quickley, those are young guards, they have Scottie Barnes there now. Then you add another young guy like Kuminga. That could be a fun team for years to come."
The Warriors have been mentioned as a potential destination for Siakam for a while now. What could they offer the Raptors? Here's one potential deal.
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The trade
Pascal Siakam, Otto Porter Jr. and Garrett Temple for Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.
Why this trade
The cleanest way for the Warriors to match Siakam's salary is by building a trade around Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, Chris Paul or Draymond Green. Curry is off-limits for obvious reasons. Thompson, Wiggins, Paul and Green are each realistic options, but Golden State would need Thompson's shooting if it were to acquire Siakam and Green is still the heartbeat of the team's defense.
That leaves Paul and Wiggins.
He's currently out with a hand injury, but Paul has been better than Wiggins so far this season. His contract is also not guaranteed for the 2024-25 season. Seeing as Siakam will be due for an extension in the offseason, cutting ties with Paul and getting off of Wiggins' contract would help Golden State lower its future tax bill.
I haven't included a draft pick, but the Raptors could ask for one as a sweetener for taking on Wiggins, who is having the worst season of his career and has three years remaining on his contract.
Why the Raptors say yes
The Raptors are said to be prioritizing "young, established players with upside to slot next to Scottie Barnes." Kuminga and Moody check that box.
Kuminga, 21, and Moody, 21, were both selected in the lottery of the 2021 NBA Draft. Kuminga was viewed as more of a project while Moody had more of an NBA-ready skill set.
Kuminga is still putting it together, but he's the type of player that Raptors president Masai Ujiri usually covets — a 6-8 forward who is versatile, athletic and can get after it defensively. Minutes have been hard to come by on the Warriors, but Kuminga would likely get a much larger runway in Toronto than he has in Golden State.
Moody would fill in nicely at shooting guard for the Raptors. He can knock down 3s and he competes defensively.
Wiggins probably wouldn't be in Toronto's long-term plans, but he's still in his 20s and the trade would be a homecoming for him. Perhaps a return to Toronto would give him the fresh start he needs to get back to the player who helped the Warriors win a championship in 2022.
Payton is currently injured, but there could be interest in him around the league. He, too, played a role in Golden State's most recent championship and is one of the league's best perimeter defenders.
Why the Raptors say no
There is some overlap between Barnes and Kuminga, both of whom are forwards who like the ball in their hands and are at their best when they're attacking the basket. Kuminga shot the ball well last season, but he's down to 27.0 percent from 3-point range this season, so it's not like he could make up for those fit concerns with his shooting.
Especially with Barrett on the team, the Raptors could run into the same sort of issues with Barnes, Barrett and Kuminga that they did with Barnes, Siakam and O.G. Anunoby. Having an additional forward in Wiggins would make it even more crowded in the frontcourt.
Paul might be a better option than Wiggins for the Raptors. He's having a solid year off Golden State's bench and he'd be a good mentor for Immanuel Quickley, even if it's only for a few months.
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Would the Warriors even sign off on this?
Based on recent reporting, probably not.
According to Michael Grange of Sportsnet, the Warriors "are loathe" to trade Kuminga. Up and down as his role has been under head coach Steve Kerr, he's still viewed within the organization as a potential star who can help the team now and in the future.
If the Warriors are still that high on Kuminga, it makes sense that they wouldn't want to part with him for Siakam, who is in the final year of his contract and is believed to prefer playing out the rest of the season rather than signing an extension.
Best case scenario: Siakam helps the Warriors compete for a title this season. Worst case scenario: Siakam isn't enough to solve Golden State's biggest issues and he leaves in free agency. Curry and Green would still be under contract and the Warriors can re-sign Thompson in the offseason, but the team would enter the 2024-25 season without Siakam, Wiggins, Payton, Kuminga, Moody and potentially Paul in that situation.
Making the most of Curry still playing at an All-NBA level while keeping the window open for at least one more season is going to be difficult. The Warriors could determine that this trade is too short-minded.
