Star No. 2: Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
The tour of disappointed Eastern Conference teams continues, landing north of the border in Toronto. The Raptors are in the midst of a summer of transition, currently searching for a new head coach after firing Nick Nurse. Fred VanVleet and Jakob Poeltl are free agents, Gary Trent Jr. likely will be one, and OG Anunoby will be jonesing for a contract extension.
There are a myriad of paths that the Raptors could take, but perhaps one involves committing to a frontcourt of Scottie Barnes, Anunoby and Poeltl and seeing what they can get for former All-Star forward Pascal Siakam on the trade market. If so, getting back a dynamic on-ball scoring guard could give this team an element they have lacked in past seasons.
Siakam would be joining the frontcourt instead of the backcourt, perhaps shifting Draymond Green to center full-time or even moving the aging defensive maestro into a Sixth Man role, a la Andre Iguodala during the dynasty years. It would also likely mean Jonathan Kuminga is moved to the Raptors in the trade, which only helps the Warriors find the right balance of picks and players.
Scoring from the frontcourt helps to alleviate the burden on Stephen Curry at the point, and Siakam’s passing ability would make him similarly dangerous to Draymond Green on the roll. He also is a plus defender, although his impact wavers when his offensive load is high; that won’t be a problem on the Warriors, and he should thrive with the extra spacing provided.