While initially among the deals expected to be completed before the end of the 2023 NBA offseason, trade discussions between the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks headlined by star forward Pascal Siakam having seemingly slowed down in recent weeks.

Reporting that the Hawks offered a package centered around wings De'Andre Hunter, A.J. Griffin and draft compensation in an Aug. 8 write-up, The Athletic insider Shams Charania says that “for now, talks are at a complete pause, and the Hawks are fully prepared to enter the 2023-24 season with their current team.”

“For now, Siakam is a Raptor,” Charania continues, “and even without an extension, he could very well remain one through the trade deadline.”

While the talks can't correctly be classified as dead, they do seem to be suspended for the time being. All of which lends credence to reports that the Raptors' front office is both enigmatic and frustrating.

For those watching from the sidelines, wondering what Raptors president Masai Ujiri and company have on their minds, The Athletic's Eric Koreen attempts to tackle the question with his intimate knowledge of the franchise.

“…My opinion is that the Raptors are a patient — sometimes an overly patient — front office that prizes stability,” Koreen writes. “Until they are absolutely sure they want to change paths, they aren’t making a significant move unless they think the value coming back would represent a decisive win in the transaction.”

“In short, I’d call Ujiri’s general M.O. conservative opportunism,” he surmises. “He leans toward things letting marinate, and only veers off that basic plan when the alternatives are either nonexistent or extremely fraught.”

If this is the case, it's understandable why the Raptors haven't hopped on the Hawks' rumored trade package for Siakam, as it doesn't make them a clearly better team.