The Toronto Raptors are in a bit of a strange spot entering the 2023-24 campaign. They lost some key pieces this past offseason, such as Fred VanVleet, but with top-level talent such as Pascal Siakam still on their roster, they aren't fully rebuilding yet. The Raptors are stuck in between contending and rebuilding, and Masai Ujiri's interesting update on Siakam's extension talks won't ease concerns.
Siakam is entering the final year of his current deal with the Raptors, and will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason if no deal is reached before then. It would seem like Toronto has a lot of motivation to extend Siakam sooner rather than later, but according to Ujiri, the two sides haven't discussed any sort of contract extension to this point.
Via Raptors HQ:
“‘We haven't talked contract extensions yet.' Masai on Pascal Siakam.”
Siakam has been involved in trade rumors all offseason long, but the fact that the Raptors haven't dealt him yet makes it seem like they are intent on holding onto him on a long-term deal. However, it was surprising to hear Ujiri admit that those conversations haven't been had at this point, because if Siakam doesn't have a new deal soon, Toronto will run the risk of losing him for nothing.
The Raptors still have time to figure things out in this regard, but it's concerning to hear that there isn't really a sense of urgency regarding Siakam's contract situation. There's hope that will change in the near future, but it doesn't look like the rumors surrounding Siakam are going to be dying down anytime soon.
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