Hawks’ Trae Young to INEVITABLY team up with NBA’s star forward
The Hawks have been in serious discussions with the Raptors over a deal for Pascal Siakam.
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(L) Pascal Siakam, (R) Trae Young (Image via Getty Images)
Pascal Siakam has been an invaluable asset for the Toronto Raptors for half a decade now. However, his name has been floating around in trade rumors ever since the end of last season, and it looks like the Atlanta Hawks have emerged as the strongest suitor thus far.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Hawks have offered a package that includes De’Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin and draft compensation for Siakam. The Raptors haven’t shown any kind of interest in the offer and have only upped their price for the 2-time All Star. Trade talks have stalled for the time being but according to NBA Insider Mark Medina, a trade for Siakam is ‘inevitable’.
As per Medina,“It seems inevitable the Toronto Raptors will deal Siakam–They expect a strong deal for return in the form of quality rotation players, expiring contracts and draft picks, all qualities that help accelerate a rebuild.” The Indiana Pacers were previously interested but conversations have not moved forward.
Another possibility is that the Hawks can send center Clint Capela to a third team, but such a trade deal would have to involve the third team sending one player to Toronto. In any case, it looks like the Hawks are the frontrunners at the moment and should make another run at Siakam and pair him up with dynamic point guard Trae Young and an excellent two-player in Dejounte Murray.
There’s no doubt Pascal Siakam is a terrific basketball player. After being drafted by the Raptors as the 27th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, Siakam has made great strides in his game and has become of the best two-way players in the game today. The 2018-19 season proved to be Siakam’s dream season in the NBA as he went on to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award as well as the NBA Championship.
Since that season, Siakam hasn’t seen much success with the Raptors over the last few years, with the team finishing their regular seasons ranked on the bottom half of the Eastern Conference standings. He averaged 24.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game for the Raptors last season where they were eliminated in the play-in tournament by the Chicago Bulls.
What would a Pascal Siakam and Trae Young pairing look like?
Trae Young is one of the best point guards in the game today. Along with being a gifted scorer, he is also a great playmaker and has the ability to make those around him better. With that being said, Siakam could greatly benefit from having a player like Young in his corner. He could give him the ball in an isolation situation, play the pick-and-roll game, or just take over games himself when he is hot.
If the Hawks do end up landing Siakam eventually, it would also pair two of the game’s most versatile two-way players today in him and Dejounte Murray. The Hawks have struggled mightily on defense over the last few seasons and getting Siakam on board would help the team a lot in that department. A ‘Big Three’ of Young, Murray, and Siakam could give a lot of teams in the East tough competition.
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Rishabh Gangwani
(58 Articles Published)