Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes how the Raptors locking up Pascal Siakam to a long-term extension may be a byproduct of how the Spurs ended up losing Kawhi Leonard, the player that helped the Raptors win the franchise’s first ever championship last season.
Like Leonard when he was in San Antonio, Siakam was destined for a maximum contract after the Raptors won last season’s title. Like San Antonio had then, Toronto has plenty of cap space this upcoming summer.
Unlike the Spurs, the Raptors didn’t wait to lock up Siakam. As Koreen writes, they want him around and they want him happy. The long term benefits outweigh the short term repercussion of less cap space.
There’s more this afternoon from Toronto:
- Per Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, forward OG Anunoby, in a rare podium session, says that he lost 15 pounds following the rupture of his appendix just as last season’s magical postseason run got underway.
- Michael Grange of Rogers Sportsnet provides some more details on the incentives in the rookie-scale contract extension signed by Siakam, writing that the 25-year-old forward will receive 30% of the cap, not the typical 25 percent, if he earns First or Second Team All-NBA or is named the MVP this season.
- Head coach Nick Nurse still appears to be rather displeased with his bench, reports William Lou of Yahoo Sports Canada. He lauded Stanley Johnson for or his defense and effort and Matt Thomas for his offense, but seemed less than enthusiastic about the other side of the ball for both players.
