NBA: 5 wild draft-day trade ideas that would change the league’s landscape
By Kyle McKee
The Golden State Warriors get back into title contention by adding Pascal Siakam
Golden State receives: Pascal Siakam
Toronto receives: James Wiseman, 7th pick and the 14th pick
According to multiple reports, including John Hollinger of The Athletic (subscription required), the Warriors are interested in trading James Wiseman and their seventh and 14th pick in the upcoming draft as a package deal to get a veteran player that will fit their team better, so they can maximize Steph Curry’s prime years.
For Golden State to get back into title contention, they need “immediate upgrades to the roster,” as Hollinger put it, badly. And Pascal Siakam would be a great fit alongside Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
Siakam would give Golden State what they haven’t had in a couple of years: a guy other than Steph and Klay that is capable of creating their one shot.
Siakam is a very talented defender, capable of defending all five positions relatively well. He’s proven through his time with the Raptors in the playoffs that he’s capable of taking on the best of the best: guarding Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler, and Ben Simmons.
On the offensive side of the court, even though Siakam has evolved into someone who can get a bucket at any time, a great plus for Golden State, he’s also someone who doesn’t need the ball. He’s a more than willing cutter and screener. He’d be great in the pick-and-roll with Steph, Klay, or even Draymond as the ball-handler.
The only area in which Siakam needs to improve is his 3-point shooting.
Siakam is a career 32.5 percent 3-point shooter. That’s decent, but he’s coming off a year in which he shot just 29.4 percent from downtown which was his worst year from 3 since his second year in the league.
As for the Raptors, this deal would mark the beginning of a much-needed rebuild.
Kyle Lowry’s a free agent, and just assuming that he would want to play for a contender in the latter half of his career, he probably won’t re-sign in Toronto.
Adding the seventh and 14th pick in a draft that many believe to be a very good one would be a great start to a rebuild. The Raptors could even try to package those two picks, to get an even higher pick.
Not to mention that the Raptors already have the fourth pick in the draft. So, saying this deal happens, what’s stopping Toronto from offering the Pistons the fourth, seventh, and 14th picks for the first pick?
Plus, the Raptors already have some nice young pieces like OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr, and Fred VanVleet, but the cherry on top of it all for the Raptors would be getting last year’s second overall pick, James Wiseman.
Wiseman had a tough first year in the NBA. He was put in a weird position of being the second overall pick with huge expectations on a team trying to win now.
Most guys that get selected in the top five are given the keys to the franchise. That wasn’t the case for Wiseman. His development wasn’t the top priority for the Warriors.
In Toronto, that would all change. He would become the full-fledged starting center and be allowed to get as many reps in as possible, and with Toronto’s recent track record of developing players, Wiseman would be in great hands to fulfill his potential.