The Toronto Raptors are seemingly on their way to the second round of the NBA playoffs, leading the Orlando Magic 3-1. Arguably their best player of the series will be a free agent in 2020, and it’s Pascal Siakam. Could the Miami Heat possibly land him?
(Editor’s note: a previous version of this post incorrectly stated Siakam’s free agency is in 2019, not 2020. This has been corrected.)
With the Toronto Raptors holding a 3-1 series lead over the Orlando Magic in the first round of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs, they seem as though they are on the cusp of a second round berth. Although Kawhi Leonard was the clear-cut best player on the team throughout the regular season, another player has stepped up in a major way during this first round. That player is Pascal Siakam, and he should definitely be on the radar for the Miami Heat.
Without a doubt their second most impressive player throughout the regular season, third-year forward Pascal Siakam has arguably been their best player in the first round of the playoffs. Out-playing Kyle Lowry by a country mile, he has at worst matched the performance of All-World forward Kawhi Leonard thus far.
So far in these playoffs, through the first four games in the first round against the Magic, Siakam has averaged 22 points, 3 assists and 9 rebounds per game. Those would be impressive stats for anybody during the playoffs, but especially for a third-year forward in Toronto. More impressive, his numbers are up nearly across the board from his regular season averages of 17 points, around three assists and about seven rebounds.
What a perfect season for Siakam to breakout, as he will be a free agent after next season. With that in mind, it begs the question, is Siakam a realistic and viable target for the Miami Heat in the summer of 2020?
This is a multi-layered question, but one that is fairly simple to unpack.
The answer is obviously yes. Anybody that could get their hands on a player of Siakam’s ilk would be wise to do so. He would help the team he finds himself on next season immensely, not only because he plays the game the right way and with a supreme intensity, but because he is very versatile in his skill set.
This versatility is what you think about when thinking about whether the Miami Heat should target him from a pure basketball sense. That answer is a resounding yes as well because of what he offers as apart of his arsenal. What you notice immediately about Siakam is his defensive ability and not only does that fit right along with the Heat culture and profile, but due to his ability to cover all five positions, he would fit perfect along with a key cog in the future of the Heat big man collective in Bam Adebayo.
On the other side of the ball, Siakam is just as, if not more versatile than he is on defense. He specializes in the drive-and-dish or drive-and-kick play, a play where he accrues a ton of his assists. He is not only a distributor off the dribble though as he is very adept as a finisher, who can and does do so above the rim on a lot of occasions. Unlike most players that are good to great drivers of the ball, Siakam is also a really good shooter.
With range that extends out to the 3-point line, where he shot 37 percent for the regular season and 30 percent currently in the playoffs, he is showing all the signs of a potentially great player. Throw in the fact that he is 6’9 and rangy, with all the skills you could ever ask for on the court, his floor is can only get so low.
The train of thought that always clouds scenarios is when you have to consider situations from a financial sense, and that is no different here. When thinking about the Miami Heat, they are not one of the teams with ample or unlimited space to offer in free agency this summer, although they expect to have cap space when he becomes a free agent in 2020. There is a catch to it all though.
When thinking about the figures for a new deal with Pascal Siakam, you have to start in the $26 million per year range, while Toronto whom could offer more would probably get as high as $33 million to keep him. If Pat Riley were somehow able to work the figures, and wanted to begin to deliver on his promise of changing things for the Miami Heat, this would be an ideal start.
So to answer the question, yes he should be a realistic option. However, it would take just a bit of work by the Heat front office, as well as a tiny bit of luck from a financial perspective. Whatever it takes though, Miami should try to be a part of the Pascal Siakam sweepstakes, as the winner will be getting a game-changer on both ends of the floor.