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The Golden State Warriors, after two consecutive dispiriting performances at home, bounced back in a huge way on Friday night, storming back from a 13-point halftime deficit to take a 140-131 victory over the Chicago Bulls on the road. Stephen Curry, in particular, went nuts in the fourth quarter of that contest. Curry scored 15 of his 27 points in the final frame as he retaliated with one bucket after another with the Bulls refusing to go away.
This win, however, just moves the Warriors to 18-20 on the season. It remains evident that the team needs a few upgrades for them to insert themselves into the mix as a contending team in the loaded Western Conference. To that end, one popular suggestion for the Warriors is to trade for Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam, who, according to the latest reports, already has one foot out of the Scotiabank Arena door.
As interested as the Warriors may be, and as much as they may have the assets necessary to swing a trade with the Raptors, severe financial constraints remain in the way of their pursuit, with Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN pointing out on NBA Today that Siakam's impending free agency makes acquiring him quite the risky move.
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“The Warriors do have interest in Pascal [Siakam], [but] I think it's a difficult pathway because he's gonna have a lot of say in where he goes,” Wojnarowski said, via Evan Sidery of Forbes.
Pascal Siakam trade update via @wojespn:
– Siakam will have a lot of say on where he goes due to his expiring contract.
– Raptors and Siakam are “nowhere close” on an extension.
– Woj mentions the Pacers as a legitimate threat to sign Siakam to a max contract this offseason.… pic.twitter.com/k6RvsgyZga
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) January 12, 2024
Indeed, any team that wins the Pascal Siakam sweepstakes would want assurances that the two-time All-Star would want to re-sign. After all, the Raptors will be demanding a lot in any prospective Siakam trades, and it'll be tough to stomach for any team, especially for the Warriors, to give up young prospects and draft capital for someone who can bolt in a few months' time.
The Raptors will certainly be asking for the likes of Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, and Trayce Jackson-Davis (not all, but a combination of those youngsters) in negotiations with the Warriors. That could end up being too prohibitive of a price even if Stephen Curry and the Warriors will benefit immensely from his addition.
