It’s a brave new NBA scenario in which elite players freely discuss front-office changes that rival teams should make.
On a recent episode of “Podcast P with Paul George,” the Los Angeles Clippers player commented on claims that the Golden State Warriors are targeting Toronto Raptors big Pascal Siakam ahead of the NBA trade deadline on February 8.
George encouraged the Bay Area team to complete the move, arguing why trading Jonathan Kuminga and Siakam would “be a win” for both teams. George admitted that Golden State would need to include either Andrew Wiggins or Chris Paul to make the salaries work.
“I saw them putting Pascal and Kuminga in a trade [rumor],” George said. “I thought about it, and I was like, ‘That’s a win for both sides.’ Like, obviously, Golden State would have to add more just from a contract [salaries] meeting up.
“He [Siakam] can be the No. 1 option, but that’s not exactly where he’s the best at. I think him being the second [or] third option is where he can really shine – because he’s a guy that can do a little bit of everything. I think it works perfectly, playing with Steph [Curry], Klay [Thompson] – they spread the floor, he can rebound, playmake.”
On the other hand, George believes the Raptors would profit equally from adding the 21-year-old Kuminga to their young core of Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley.
“Kuminga is coming into his own,” George continued. “Toronto’s in this rebuild, but ready-to-get-better and win-now mode – they just traded for RJ and Quickley, and they have Scottie Barnes. You add another young guy like Kuminga, and that could be a fun team for years to come.”
While there have been conflicting stories about the Warriors moving on from Kuminga, a recent report from NBA insider Shams Charania stated that “everyone but Stephen Curry” is on the table for trade talks. The Raptors have apparently been actively shopping Siakam, but the two-time All-Star has a high asking price.
Both the Warriors (18-21) and the Raptors (15-24) are currently outside the play-in picture and want to improve their fortunes before the NBA trade deadline.
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