Getty Pascal Siakam, Joel Embiid
The Philadelphia 76ers have remained a top team in the Eastern Conference despite losing James Harden. With the window of opportunity they have at their behest, the Sixers could look into free agency to add another star like Pascal Siakam.
Siakam’s time with the Toronto Raptors appears to be coming to an end. Per Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, when he hits the free agent market, the Sixers are expected to be among his biggest suitors.
“Philly, Indiana, they are prime teams to look out for,” Haynes said on January 12. “I don’t know if they do anything at the deadline, but those are two prime teams to look out for because they can decide, ‘Alright, we’ll take our chances over the summer,’ if nothing transpires over the summer.”
Siakam would appeal to the Sixers for several reasons. One, he has a title to his name, and playoff experience comes in handy for teams aiming to win a title. Two, he has experience playing for Nick Nurse, though they had issues, which led to the league fining Siakam. Three, he’s friends with Joel Embiid, as they share Cameroonian heritage.
Whether the Raptors trade Siakam or not, the Sixers can sign him outright this offseason. That is, as long as they don’t exchange any long-term salary for any expiring contract(s) to their current roster.
Sixers Interest in Pascal Siakam May Scare Off Suitors: Insider
Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported that the Sixers’ cap space may turn off Pascal Siakam’s suitors this coming offseason.
“Both Indiana and Detroit will have serious room to play with this summer,” Fischer wrote in a January 10 story. “So will Philadelphia, with Siakam’s former Raptors head coach, Nick Nurse, manning the bench, and that has league personnel pinning the Sixers as another potential free-agency bogeyman to scare off Siakam trade-deadline bids.”
Fischer added that the Sixers don’t have much interest in adding to their current core.
“Philadelphia is not in any rush to add a piece or burn any of the Sixers’ newfound draft capital by way of the Harden trade, sources said. Philly has been conducting due diligence on various point guards available for the trade market — although Tyus Jones doesn’t seem to be a target to keep in mind for the Sixers, sources said.”
He concluded by reporting that the Sixers are not chasing any available big names on the trade market, including Siakam.
“There’s little expectation among league figures that the Sixers will pursue Siakam or LaVine during this trade window.”
Sixers Among Teams Expected to Pursue Dejounte Murray
Because the Sixers have expiring contracts to dangle, they could look at other targets besides Pascal Siakam. Fischer added that the Sixers are among the teams who could chase Dejounte Murray.
“At this juncture, to varying degrees, the Lakers, Knicks, Sixers, Heat, and Pistons are five suitors expected to engage Atlanta about acquiring Murray over the coming days and weeks before Feb 8,” Fischer wrote.
Trading for Murray would take them out of any pursuit for Siakam, as he is about to enter the first of a four-year contract extension. If the Sixers feel as though they can’t get Siakam this offseason, Murray is a solid fallback option.