Grade the Trade: Kings land Raptors forward in blockbuster proposal

Laying out a Siakam trade

The Sacramento Kings don't need to blow up the good thing that they have going; they are 19-12 and in fifth-place in the Western Conference, and the two-man combination of De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis continues to be an offensive force. What they want to do, therefore, is add Siakam into their core rather than break it up.

The Toronto Raptors are almost certainly going to ask for Keegan Murray, and for good reason. The second-year forward is an elite shooter and can adequately play at either forward position; his fit with Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley is excellent. Just as the Raptors targeted Quickley in the OG Anunonby trade, they'll likely ask for Murray in any potential Siakam deal with the Kings.

The Kings need to hold that line; Murray's shooting and upside are such that they can't move him for anything short of a top-15 player, and Siakam is more of a Top-40 guy at this point in his career, and on an expiring contract to boot. Whatever offer Sacramento makes, it should hold out Murray in addition to Fox and Sabonis.

That logically leads to an offer that looks something like this:

This deal would bring the two-time All-NBA Siakam to the Kings, along with two-time Sacramento King Garrett Temple to give the Kings back some backcourt depth.

For Toronto, they would get a knockdown movement shooter to space the court around Barnes and Quickley just as he has done in Sacramento, a more proven version of the player the Raptors were trying to add by drafting Gradey Dick in the lottery in last year's NBA Draft. Harrison Barnes is the kind of player who can help nearly any team given his defense and shooting, and he would be movable to another team now or in the offseason. Davion Mitchell is worth a flier to see if he can recover his two-way potential in a new setting.

For a Raptors team that wants to stay competitive but also build for the future, they get two vets (and Huerter is only 25 years old) as well as Mitchell and the first-round pick. The Raptors may get a better offer elsewhere, but they might not, and this is fair value for Siakam.

If Toronto is game for this deal, would Sacramento play ball?