The Toronto Raptors entered the NBA offseason finding themselves in an intriguing spot as a franchise and even after the draft and free agency, this organization still has a lot of uncertainty surrounding them. Not only are there questions being asked about what the backcourt will look like with Fred VanVleet departing for the Houston Rockets as a free agent, but the future of Pascal Siakam with the franchise continues to be brought up in trade discussions around the league.

Drafted 27th overall by the Raptors in 2016, Siakam has spent all seven years of his career in Toronto and he's turned himself into a two-time All-Star and All-NBA talent through the years. Just this past season, Siakam averaged career-high averages in points (24.2) and assists (5.8), as well as a career-high 630 total made field goals.

There is no denying that he is one of the best frontcourt players in the entire league and still just 29 years old, Siakam is just now entering the prime years of his career. However, the clock is beginning to tick for the Raptors star and his team, as Toronto does not appear to be in an immediate position to contend for a championship after missing the playoffs this past year and just one year remains on his contract.

It seems like it would be an obvious choice for the Raptors to extend and want to keep Siakam around, especially since they just lost one of their best players in VanVleet this offseason, yet the organization has not shown an eagerness to offer their big man a new deal as unrestricted free agency looms next summer. On the flip side of things though, Siakam has made it very clear that he wants a new contract in Toronto and only in Toronto.

The dilemma of whether or not to start fresh and go through some type of rebuild seems to be very much in the minds of the Raptors' front office personnel at this time, especially with the high value a Siakam-oriented trade could return.

Then again, team president Masai Ujiri has never been one to give up on his roster and always seems to swing for the fences in order to put his organization at the forefront of conversations in the Eastern Conference. He did so acquiring Kawhi Leonard for DeMar DeRozan in 2018 and it is definitely not out of the question for Ujiri to look and make a similar move now.

As things stand ahead of August, there does not appear to be any significant traction on a trade involving Siakam, league sources told ClutchPoints, especially given that there are some within the walls of the Raptors organization who do not want to see the star leave. Building around recent first-round pick Scottie Barnes and making him the focal point does seem to be in Toronto's future though, hence why Siakam has seen his name pop up in offseason trade rumors.

Teams pursuing Pascal Siakam

Raptors, Pascal Siakam

Of the teams pursuing him, the Atlanta Hawks have been the most aggressive team that has reached out to the Raptors, sources said. With Quin Snyder entering his first full season as the head coach of the Hawks and the team looking to surround their All-Star backcourt of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray with win-now talents, Atlanta has been busy adding depth and working on their financials this offseason.

Recently signing Wesley Matthews, the Hawks continued to add depth when they acquired veteran guard Patty Mills in a multi-team trade this summer. They also parted ways with John Collins, who had close to $80 million remaining on his contract through the 2025-26 season. While they are high on Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu, two recent first-round picks still on rookie contracts, the Hawks have been looking to make an upgrade in their frontcourt, which is why Siakam has emerged as their top target.

The path to finding a trade that works with Toronto has not presented itself though, as the Hawks cannot put together that lucrative of an offer. Murray would've been a key name for the Raptors to possibly acquire in wake of VanVleet's departure, but he recently signed a contract extension with Atlanta and cannot be traded until January at the earliest. The Hawks also do not appear to have any interest in moving Murray at this time, thus why they gave him a $120 million extension.

Okongwu and Johnson are two young players the Hawks are high on, as mentioned previously, and it would not be shocking if there was an unwillingness to part with either talent. This leaves them with players such as De'Andre Hunter, Clint Capela, and Bogdan Bogdanovic to possibly deal away. The Raptors shouldn't be interested in any of these three players really, as moving Siakam for one or two of them does not make Toronto better in any way.

When looking around the league, there are a couple of other teams that could make sense as possible landing spots for Siakam if the Raptors were eager to trade him ahead of the start of the new season. The Indiana Pacers have been in the market for an upgrade at the power forward position for quite some time and the Orlando Magic seem to be an All-Star-level player away from taking that next step as a young, emerging franchise in the East.

Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin, Andrew Nembhard and rookie Jarace Walker are all intriguing, youthful talents Indiana could look to leverage in order to finally add that upgrade at the forward spot. Down in Orlando, the Magic would likely make their entire roster besides Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner available in trade talks. Neither team though has been in constant contact with the Raptors, sources said, as there was never any real traction on a potential trade earlier this offseason.

Toronto's decision impacts their immediate future

What transpires in Toronto leading up to training camp in September will be very telling as to what this franchise will look like for the foreseeable future. Obviously the path the Raptors find themselves on now changes if they were to trade Siakam out of the blue, but by not offering him a contract extension in the offseason, Siakam will become the center of trade conversations entering the new NBA season.

For a franchise that always steers clear of drama and never seem to be in headlines unless they are finding success, this is not necessarily what the Raptors will want.

There's no doubt that trading Siakam can bring a handful of youthful, high-potential assets to Toronto. Then again, this would be a massive step backwards for the organization if they don't add another All-Star in his place. Maybe the league's new CBA rules are looming large over this front office and resulting in some of these conflicting thoughts on a potential trade, but the Raptors are not a bad team by any means and they are still in a position to make it back to the playoffs heading into the 2023-24 season.

VanVleet leaving in free agency opens up more minutes for Gary Trent Jr. and the 24-year-old sharpshooter has shown flashes of his scoring potential over the last couple of years in Toronto. Not to mention, the team signed Dennis Schroder this offseason, a veteran that is more than capable of being a primary ball-handler and facilitator that leads his team's backcourt.

As for the rest of this roster, Jakob Poeltl returned on a new four-year contract, Jalen McDaniels joined as a versatile forward on a two-year deal and Otto Porter Jr. may finally be healthy after a foot injury resulted in him playing in just eight games this past season. Barnes remains a focal point at either forward position and OG Anunoby continues to grow into a two-way threat out on the wing.

They are by no means the best team in the league, but with Siakam as their best player right now, the Raptors are still in a position to compete in the Eastern Conference. The culture Toronto has built for themselves through the years is not going anywhere and unless they are to get the value they want, there truly is no need for them to part ways with their only All-Star talent.