Despite being the subject of trade rumors for portions of the offseason, power forward Pascal Siakam wants to remain with the Raptors, his agent told NBC Sports, via Arthur Hill of Hoops Rumors.
“That’s the last thing on his mind,” agent Todd Ramasar said on the PBT Talk podcast. “… He loves it there. Yes. He won a championship. … That’s never come from us that there’s a change … Because of the pandemic, because the Raptors missed the playoffs, there’s been a lot of speculation around (about a trade), but it’s not because of Pascal or anything he’s said. Or even the organization. I think that’s just the chatter that picks up going into an offseason.”
Siakam underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder in June and is expected to miss five months.
Given the timeline, Siakam could miss the start of the 2021-22 season, as the league shifts back to its traditional calendar.
Siakam averaged 21.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 36 minutes per game during the regular season. He has three years remaining on his contract.
After playing a season in Tampa and finishing with a 27-45 record, the Raptors are expected to return to Canada next season, though that has yet to be officially determined.
Wherever the Raptors play their home games, though, Ramasar said Siakam hops he remains right there with them.
“First of all, it’s about understanding when it is purely speculation as opposed to there being some substance to that, right? Is there traction to those rumors?” Ramasar said. “It starts with having good communication and a great relationship with the team and management, and communication.
“And it’s understanding that, because this is a business, at any point you can be traded… But in this situation, knowing that it was more so speculation than anything else, it’s having those conversations with the client. It’s also the team reassuring the player, in this case Pascal, and then you move forward and stay in control of the things you have control over.”
Siakam suffered the shoulder injury May 8 vs. the Grizzlies.
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