Is Pascal Siakam the NBA's most sought-after player?

After trading OG Anunoby andacquiring youngsters RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, the TorontoRaptors seem poised for a rebuild.

This recent trade with the NewYork Knicks begs the question: Is All-Star Pascal Siakam theleague’s most desired player as the Feb. 8 trade deadlineapproaches?

With Toronto likely looking tojumpstart their rebuild, the 29-year-old does not fit the timelineof their other high-value players, including Scottie Barnes (22years old) and Barrett (23 years old). Barnes is averagingcareer-highs in nearly every major statistic, and he's the Raptors'second-leading scorer behind Siakam. Barrett has not lived up toexpectations as a former No. 3 overall pick, but he has provenhimself as a solid scorer, averaging 18.2 points on 42.3% shooting.The Raptors are entering 2024 with a lineup that's built to competein the coming years rather than this season.

Many organizations believe theyhave a cast strong enough to compete for a championship or, at thevery least, a playoff berth. There are very few sellers thisseason, and the lack of teams interested in parting ways with theirkey contributors further enhances Siakam’s value. With so fewimpact players on the market, many front offices around the NBAcould view Siakam as their missing piece.

There is an argument for starssuch as Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen or Miami Heat guard TylerHerro being the most sought-after player, but neither has thenewfound availability of Siakam. Also, it seems unlikely thateither of those players will be traded, whereas a Siakam dealsseems more likely, especially since he'll be an unrestricted freeagent after this season.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowskireports that "Toronto isexpected to continue to explore trades involving forward PascalSiakam." While he points out that "there are no deals with tractionnow," that's likely to change as the trade deadline gets closer.

Siakam is a two-time All-NBAforward who's averaging 21.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.2 assistson 51.2% shooting. Teams seeking a player to stretch the floorshould consider looking elsewhere, as Siakam is shooting 26.1% fromthree-point range through 32 games. He's an offensive engine whohas the ability to create his own shot, with just 58.1% of hispoints being assisted. For comparison, reigning MVP Joel Embiid isassisted on 56.8% of his makes.

Two of the strongest contendersfor Siakam are the Philadelphia 76ers and SacramentoKings.

Philadelphia could benefit froma third scoring option alongside Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. TheSixers' tandem is averaging a combined 61.3 points. The 76ers sitas the No. 3 seed in the East, trailing the Boston Celtics andMilwaukee Bucks.

Forward Tobias Harris providessolid contributions, but lacks the offensive skill-set of Siakam.Harris would likely act as the center of Philadelphia’s offer. The31-year-old is averaging 17.3 points and 6.1 rebounds on 51.3%shooting. It's no secret that Daryl Morey has been pursuing a thirdstar ever since trading James Harden to the Los AngelesClippers.

Meanwhile, the Kings currentlyhold the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference. If they add a thirdstar to the exhilarating duo of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis,Sacramento could elevate further up the standings. The organizationhas a multitude of valuable assets, including Keegan Murray, KevinHuerter, Davion Mitchell and Malik Monk.

However, it remains to be seenwhether Sacramento is willing to part with these pieces and pushtheir chips to the middle of the table. Murray is averaging 15.5points per game in his sophomore season, while Monk and Huerterprovide solid scoring and shooting from beyond the arc.

While the 76ers and Kings makesense as landing spots for Siakam, plenty of teams will likely callabout the forward in the coming weeks. Don't be surprised ifthere's a bidding war for Siakam's services.