There’s been a flurry of action for the Toronto Raptors over the past several hours. Most importantly, according to a report by Woj, Toronto has re-signed Pascal Siakam to a max contract. Siakam was the 27th pick of the 2016 draft, and he’s been on a meteoric rise, winning the league’s Most Improved Player award in 2018-19. Exact numbers of Siakam’s deal aren’t clear yet until we know the exact cap figures but Siakam will earn 25 percent of the team cap over the next four years, projecting to around $130 million.
Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam has agreed to a four-year, max contract extension, agents @TRamasar and @choufani_lsme tells Zach Lowe and me.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 19, 2019
There have been some recent rumblings among well-connected reporters that Siakam would re-sign only for the max. Bobby Webster and Masai Ujiri have recently said in media availability that negotiations were progressing with Siakam’s representation. The biggest clue was Chris Haynes reporting that Siakam was a near-certainty to agree to a maximum extension before the deadline. The signs have pointed towards this deal getting done before the season began — with the deadline at October 21 before the two sides could have negotiated again after the season.
There is no financial reason for the Raptors to have signed this deal before the season began. They sacrificed their cap space next summer, as Siakam would only have taken up his hold, around $7 million, giving the Raptors far more flexibility in chasing free agents. However, Toronto already dipped into their sizable cap space in re-signing Lowry for $31 million, and it’s clear that available funds for free agents in 2020 are far less important to the Raptors than in 2021; neither Siakam’s nor Lowry’s deals affect 2021 cap space.
Moreover, choosing to re-sign Siakam is a significant move for team chemistry and player happiness, all of which will be significant if Toronto surprises the Eastern Conference this year. The Raptors have signaled that Siakam is the man going forward, and it’s one thing for Nurse to say that to media, but it’s valuable for Siakam’s importance to be reflected in the sheet. Siakam knows how much the team values him, and his teammates know his place going forward. The team decided that all of the positives far outweigh the cost of sacrificing financial flexibility in the summer of 2020.
Siakam averaged 16.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.7 blocks, and only 1.9 turnovers in 2018-19. He raised his numbers to 19.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 1.4 turnovers in the playoffs, as Toronto won a championship. The Raptors are betting that Siakam will significantly increase his numbers going forward as he gets the lion’s share of touches this season.
In other news, Toronto has waived Cam Payne, Devin Robinson, and Matt Morgan. Payne was on a non-guaranteed contract, so it’s likely that he and Toronto have parted ways for good. Payne had a disappointing performance in the pre-season. As for Robinson and Morgan, both were on Exhibit-10 contracts, so it’s likely that they end up with the Raptors 905. If they do, and they play for the G League team for at least 60 days, they will earn $50 thousand to supplement their G League incomes. The roster is now trimmed to 17 with the deadline of October 20 standing when it must be trimmed to 15 and two two-ways. As it stands, it seems likely that Oshae Brissett and Isaiah Taylor will earn two-ways with the Raptors 905, and everyone else currently on the Raptors’ roster will stay on the roster going into the regular season. The team could still look outside of the roster for a two-way spot, so it’s possible that the Raptors 905 only have one two-way on the roster to begin the season. The Raptors 905 play their first game on November 8.
The Raptors still have some moves to make ahead of their season-opener on October 22. The team will have a few G League contracts to sign, but the biggest moves are out of the way. Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam are re-signed ahead of the season, which will at the least give them peace of mind heading into Toronto’s title defense. There’s lots of positive news coming out of Toronto today. The good times will continue to roll with the ring ceremony and banner raising on October 22 before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
