Summary

The '18-'19 Most Improved Player had himself quite a season, nearly making the All-Star team and helping the Raptors win their first ever NBA championship. Siakam showed great strides, especially offensively, as he hit outside shots at a solid rate while showing he can get to the rim on his own. He has the size to finish over or through smaller defenders, but has the quickness to beat his defender off the dribble. On defense, Siakam can defend multiple positions, as he has the athleticism to stay in front of wings while also having the size to defend bigs and provide some level of rim protection.

 

Siakam may never become the All-NBA level player that can be the primary scorer on a championship-level team, but he has already proven he can be the second or third option on a great team. While he may be an older free agent at 26 next summer, whoever signs Siakam will likely have him for his entire prime.

 

Cap Considerations

Siakam will be a restricted free agent with a $7.1 million cap hold and a $5.1 million Qualifying Offer. Siakam's QO will not come into play, as he will either sign a large contract with the Raptors or get a large offer sheet from another team, so Siakam settling for the QO is near certain not to happen.

 

Since Siakam will have a low cap hold, the Raptors can take advantage of this by keeping his cap hold on the books, using their cap space to sign free-agents, then using Bird Rights to re-sign Siakam once their cap space has been used up. Siakam will be looking for the full 5-year, $169.6 million max from the Raptors, with an early termination option on the fifth year, and a 15% trade bonus.

 

For other teams, Siakam will be looking for a 4-year, $125 million max offer, and the Raptors would still probably match that offer sheet. In addition, adding a 15% trade bonus, a player option, and some advances on his salary could make it more difficult for the Raptors to match.