Sam Amick on Pascal Siakam’s reluctance toward joining the Kings

Sam Amick on Pascal Siakam’s reluctance toward joining the Kings

In from the athletic the one the only Sam amck joining us this good morning Sam how are you good morning Jay I’m doing good brother how are you I’m great I’m always curious about your Journeys I know uh were you in San Francisco yesterday or where where have you been

As of late with the NBA Journey uh good old La uh I was down there Sunday through yesterday uh I I actually wrote this yesterday there a note kind of pulling back the curtain about how I initially was supposed to go to uh LA on Monday I

Think it was and then when a couple of my colleagues dropped a fairly explosive story about the Lakers locker room and and Darin Ham’s uncertain status I decided to to move the trip up a day and go catch the Lakers Clippers game which for a minute kind of felt like one of

Those like oh boy if the Lakers get boat raced you know would Darin be in trouble so the the trip began then Lakers win did some reporting found out that I do I think Darin’s actually safe for for at least a a foreseeable future and then uh

A back to back to back though Jay you can relate like we talk about we’re not out there playing like these guys but uh I do sympathize when you go to the arena three nights in a row and and uh shift up that sleep schedule a little bit uh

We’re not going to lie brother we’re we’re dragging a little bit today well and you had a lot in your recent article I I should have remembered that you were in La so apologies on that but yeah CU you had well you had La you had the

Story with SE yakum as well so we’ll kind of go one by one I want to start because last week I remember you know the three of us Dave was here we’re were talking about that and I I felt it I was a bit stunned about the Darin ham kind

Of talk and it almost seemed like between you and those that are reporting on it like it’s going to happen so what did you learn I mean he’s won a couple of games but it shouldn’t be that fragile what did you learn on your uh on your reporting about why he might be

Safe uh I mean to put it bluntly and this is what’s fun about radio especially on your guys show because we talk so openly because I yeah I can’t really write it this way uh but I mean what I learned is that you know ownership and and and I guess most of

Management is fine with darbin for now they they have frustrations um they but you know ownership is the key component there having covered the Lakers for so long you know you always have to check with as Darin calls her the boss lady Genie bus and so what I learned is that

Um while the locker room might have a pretty significant level of frustration you know they’re going to have to just make it work uh and more specifically I’m sure you caught all this like man it just never gets old watching the and he’s you know the disclaimer incredible

Player maybe you know I he’s top two top three of all time but watching the LeBron James uh passive aggressive show is a is a sight to be home yeah cuz he and what I’m referring to is that he they beat the Clippers he’s well aware I’m sure that

Darin’s been in the news he gets asked about Darin and he offers like a very tepid like eight-word response he was asked you know how is Darin helping this team through this time and it was he might as well have just said well he shows up to work you know like that was

Kind of all he offered and then a reporter asked about the Clippers and referred to them as the James Harden Clippers and LeBron interrupted and and said James Harden Clippers these these tyo tyoo Clippers and proceeded to sound like he was Tao’s agent um you know and

They’re very good friends and I I talked to some Lakers people that were like R they’re they’re buddies what do you expect and it’s like I hear you but he knows the Optics you know like when you lift one guy up and then you’re lukewarm

On the other uh it doesn’t look good so um I don’t think that element is great but I don’t think it’s toxic either so they’re gonna have to just navigate it but even and I don’t know if that’s exactly what they said but when you’re saying yeah you know he’s fine for now

Like f the fine doesn’t really sound like a ringing endorsement for Darin H oh no no it’s not at all it’s a it’s a hope that uh there was a little sense of like from management like did our players forget that we hired a first time head coach like we knew that you

Know sometimes coaching development is a is a area that gets forgotten about and doesn’t is not given much grace or patience uh and they’re basically saying yeah there’s a bunch of stuff that we don’t understand why he did this and why he did that um but he’ll learn from it

And and we still believe in who he is and where he’s going so they want some developmental patience which is a pretty again to be fair to LeBron is a pretty tough ask when you know your best player is doing things at this age that no

One’s ever done and and father time is still beating down his door so that the Dynamics are tricky on that front you’re also down there you said like three games in a row basically the Raptors were in town they’re a story they were a story here they were a story when they

Went through the Warriors and mainly the story is Pascal SE yakum uh what did you learn about him as those rumors with the Kings maybe Warriors others what’s going on with him and his future with Toronto so it was a funny experience because with Toronto in town um you know and I

Wrote this part but like you you’re in real time and you know how we all sit around pregame talking to different people um crypto which I now have begrudgingly started calling it you know formerly Staples uh like at the sideline of that Lakers a Raptors game there’s just a lot

Of media a lot of Agents a lot of front office Executives and I kept making my way down the sidelines saying hello to different people and it cracked me up because while sakim was doing his warm-up on the floor um like it seemed like damn near every person on the

Sideline was talking about him and his future you know and having their opinion uh and some of the people are people who are actually involved in his situation um and so what I learned is that you know for one I’ll start here the prospect of him signing

An extension with the Raptors is not off the table yet um it’s a pretty unique situ ation because it seems clear that they’re ready to move on from him but if the market is so underwhelming that they’re going to have to take pennies on the dollar then there is a scenario a

Scenario that exists where they might ultimately have to um you know pay them out and then maybe trade them sign and trade later this summer if they want to um I just think that you know they clearly haven’t been offered enough to to make them go ahead and hit that

Button but as it relates to the Kings uh you know it was not great news it was the idea that um that number one he’s planning on hitting free agency and looking at all of his options if he’s a free agent this summer as expected uh but more specifically to the kings that

He’s not excited about that possible situation um and and would very likely not resign so um I will say you know things change in this league all the time um fans understandably and predictably brought up the Chris Weber comparison which is a good one it really is I mean that that

Does apply you know if sakam came here and absolutely clicked with domas and fox and and had a good run because I will say to to make this part clear if they if they go ahead and roll the dice and he’s a king like my full expectation

Would be like he’s a professional like he’s going to have the Jersey on and play his tail off so nobody’s trying to say is not going to show up and and ball out um so from there who knows but I do think there there there’s it’s not a

Market thing per se um there is a specific element with the kings that it just doesn’t have him excited so uh you know that’ll be part of their calculus as they decide what to do here yeah I’m interested in that that drilling down on that Sam because you know in the past it

Made sense for people why they wouldn’t want to come here and not that it’s all solved in in one season but it does seem it’s way more appealing than it’s been um from the arena to the style to the to the success they’re having to to the

Degree but do you think any of it for SE yakum who’s been an All-Star and a really good player if he came here I I don’t know that he’s featured player one may not even be featured player to and as Keegan grows if he stays here like

You know he would be a really important part of the piece but may not be the piece um is would that be any of his reservations at all uh I don’t admittedly have full clarity on what they are other than I I think you know with players like this

And teams like the Kings um you’re going to be constantly you know courting or or recruit not recruiting is the wrong word but like considering adding I mean you know teams are constantly thinking about adding good players right um I I get the sense that you know behind the scenes

Some of the communication that has unfolded to this point uh just has n landed in a kind of way that hasn’t fired up I I’ll put it that way and partly choosing not to share everything but admittedly partly not knowing all of it um but there’s you know it’s almost

Like you going to a party and and you got a buddy of yours who you’re talking to and and and you can’t figure out why they’re just not vibing with this other friend that you like you know what I mean like what what is something something happened here um so it’s a

Little strange um and and it’s also it’s also that time of year where you know the power games are happening so beyond the Kings I think that se aim’s Camp is you know they they are looking at which pathway uh can we guide him toward to

Secure a full Max which is what he wants and it’s not just the money my understanding is in his talks with the Raptors about an extension on the money side that they have been at the max level is it’s a it’s more the years and

The terms than it is the money so it’s Being Framed as if the max element is is kind of non-negotiable um and what they don’t want and this is a a little bit reminiscent of James Harden last summer what they don’t want is like they know

How many teams have the kind of cap room to to cut the kind of check they’re looking for and free agency uh very Poss possibly you know will not lead to the kind of full Max or even any max that he’s looking for I don’t know that you

Know I don’t know exactly what that market looks like but you know getting an extension out of the Raptors because they need to get Assets in return from moving him might still be their best play and probably is and I think they’re leaning on that they know that MSU jiri

You know who runs the Raptors um has taken a lot of flak for losing guys for nothing Fred van Le um last summer another player who is escaping me right now but they’ve had this stretch where like if you’re retooling you got to get something for

These guys and not just watch them walk away and and siakam’s people know that and I think that’s why they they keep pushing for an extension yeah Kawai wasn’t he the other one yes thank you pretty significant one yeah pretty significant one yeah uh did you have in

Any of these talks about him about his future what what yaka may do on the king’s side of things did you you know ever get I don’t Know full confirmation but what was reportedly going to be if the kings were intrigued um with SE yakum what the Raptors would want from

Sacramento um my general understanding is that it’s you know a Harrison Barnes Kevin herder um Davon Mitchell approach and then in terms of picks possibly I I don’t have Clarity there I think philosophically has felt like the king’s willingness and I do think those talks were pretty significant when they got

Reported last week um you know this was not just continued flirt flirtations this was like hey are we getting somewhere here and you know there was even when I was in LA there was some shatter about you know about the Raptors kind of allegedly moving the goalpost a

Little bit and when it looked like something might get done asking for more which conceivably would have been a Keegan Murray type or something you know something like that I think the Kings are looking at this like you know the only scenario in which we will do this

Is you taking our players who um you know and I’m is delicate here because these guys are important in what they’re doing right now but like who are not necessarily seen as as part of the long-term future now you know herder to me is the tricky one there because man

It’s it’s just been a tough year for him where you know last year he was a massive part of what they did gets off to a tough start this year you know feels like he loves it in town um so but it’s you know the league is tough they

You know guys not name LeBron and Steph and and KD and all those guys are typically available that’s just how it works um it’s a long-winded answer to your question Jay but I think like we’ll give you the pieces that we are comfortable giving you that don’t significantly impact our future AKA keeg

Murray and if you ask for anything beyond on that then there’s really no reason for us to talk yeah and we’ll see if that changes but that’s the way it’s been explained to me yeah and if that’s it you know again you’re so right Sam that you know these guys are still

People and they’re still parts of these teams but if that truly is an offer on the king’s front of of some liking of Barnes herder Mitchell maybe some picks or something along the lines for SE yakum with the risk being that he may not resign boy that would still be a

Tempting tempting risk to take for me as a you know someone that goes if you keep Keegan and you got Monk and you keep Fox and sabonis I don’t know I mean I I think Monty McNair and West might might revisit that one that’s just a total

Guess on my part but that what do you think about that I do and you know we’re just we get paid to analyze this stuff so I’ll get I’ll get you know over the feeling guilty aspect of it Barnes herder Mitchell are on the short list of

Players this season who I think are perceived as has having been disappointing yeah they’ve underperformed you’re right yes and and Mitchell in particular is a guy that they picked really high but but you know all you got to do is watch the games and realize that that his part in

Their program has changed significantly since last season um so yeah I think the Temptation is there I don’t think you know even though the Kings had indicated that the talks had ended um you know that that was said with a month ago before the deadline I anticipate that they certainly will revisit it

Um you know talking to people in La I guess just to broaden the scope a little bit Indiana is sounds to be very interested uh so I think Indiana’s gonna to be in the mix I don’t know what they’re willing to put on the table um

Gold state is another one um you know the Warriors that is real I don’t know how you know what what those conversations have been like but I I I’m with you I do it could become one of those trades for any of those teams where because it’s again to repeat this

Part it it’s not just seak picking on the Kings as far as free agency goes like he is he is not indicating to any team that he goes to that he will resign in advance he’s just not going to do that um so you know everybody is having

To roll the dice here if they want this guy to play for him um so we’ll see what happens but if you talk about just the rest of the year and and what does that look like I mean that’s that’s pretty nice I think some people feel like with

The King you know and I’m curious how you think basketball-wise like any concern about um duplication between cakam and Keegan um in terms of roles not entirely for me but I I mean I I’m more into acquiring the more Talent you can have and kind of sorting it out

But um no I I don’t think I would the biggest concern is the one the red flag right there is is resigning him yeah and does that make Financial sense with Mo I mean to me Sam the other part of the equation for the Kings that’s really

Interesting is monk I mean I I think they’ve paid Fox they’ve paid Sab bonis there’ll be a time where they if they want to go down this road they want to keep Keegan he’ll be due but the most pressing one is Monk and he’s been an

Important part and he should get a good payday but kind of factoring him in with a trade with a potential free agent that that’s that’s a tricky one I think for the Kings I agree and on top of that it’s you know siakam’s I mean he’s a

Two-time All-Star two-time all NBA um I know people generally at least on social media those people when I reported that he was seeking a Max there was you know and we’re guilty of only seeing like the negative responses but like a lot of people finding that humorous that don’t

See him as a max player like people sometimes forget that the way NBA economics works is that the salary cap inevitably or inherently you know means that like the phrase max player should not be equated with like you know best you know what I’m saying like it’s like

Like LeBron James you know might make $40 million a year 48 million whatever it is he’s actually worth 110 I’m just throwing a number out there so the sliding scale aspect of that means that a guy like SE yakum in the NBA Market very possibly uh could wind up as a max

Player again um but for the Kings you sure it’d be great if he was a 29 yearold who was looking for a competitive situation and looking to just make the contract work in order be you know to be in a good basketball situation that’s clearly not what’s

Happening and and they’re going to have to let’s say they did roll the dice then they’re trying to resign him or any team I mean that age is is a factor you know 29’s not old but he’s he’s moving to the back end of his prime um so a lot of

Factors to consider for sure talking with Sam mayic here our weekly visit with Sam from the athletic now Sam SE yakum can’t be the only one on the Kings list Andor really around the league where we are getting closer as you said um who are some other names teams that

You know lavine’s out there but some other ones that that we should watch because I think back to last deadline Sam where I mean we had generational Talent being dealt Kyrie Irving Kevin Durant Westbrook I mean there were there were so many moves last year um what

What are you keeping your eye on here over the next couple weeks um I mean I do feel like we we keep recycling the same names you know so I in the interest of trying to advance the conversation a little bit I’ll say that that Charlotte has become

An interesting team to watch um you know I think we might have hit on this in past visits Jay but like the miles Bridges component is going to be really uncomfortable for somebody because he’s pretty good player uh with an absolutely awful you know offc Court uh profile at

The moment so um you know a guy like that comes to mind Gordon Hayward who gets paid a ton of money but who’s on an expiring contract comes to mind you know Terry roier they just Charlotte in general is is in flux ownership change you know rumors about MIT Cub Che in the

Front office is he going to be around and so uh it’s created kind of a conversation where people think that uh that maybe a bunch of those guys are going to change jersey so if you talk about Talent um you know do any of those guys fit the king’s needs um and then

From there it’s I mean the Chicago situation continues to evolve with Zack LaVine coming back I actually don’t know and I to look what what have the results been like since he came back is this on your radar at all mixed bag I know there

One of the games came back he came off the bench and uh yeah they’re up and down much like they’ve been most of the year a little below 500 yeah well because you got you’ve got Zach who kind of needs to show everybody that he’s healthy um you know but I do think

There’s people who feel like he would be the best fit for the Kings which is an interesting debate um but youve got Demar D rozan who situated is still in flux you got Alex Caruso who of all the names we’ve talked about like that is probably other than SE yakum the one

Maybe I mean if you talk about just like you know getting a deal done and having a guy help your team Caruso might be at the top of that list um but the Bulls by all accounts are are actually asking for multiple first round picks so the price

Is pretty high um you know we’ll see if that changes um who am I leaving out here as we try to make the round um I think those are the main names and then I mean I think jante Murray in Atlanta that’s yeah that one come up yeah Clint

Capella I mean that’s a you know that one’s an interesting one I don’t know what it would take uh but but the Kings could certainly use some more Rim defense you know DeAndre Hunter on the Hawks is available too so not as sexy of

A pool of names like you said as it was this time a year ago but but some pretty good players well and then it’s also it’s it’s going to turn out to be a pretty significant names level name value in the free agency market this summer but to your point you said

Earlier Sam a lot of teams don’t have money we’ve already kind of had the first Mark of that yesterday as far as names and kawi Leonard getting the extension I think it makes sense for what they did uh what your read on on the Clippers decision there and it

Sounds like they may try to do the same with Harden Andor Paul George yeah I mean it’s how quickly the fortunes have turned for the Clippers I keep joking with people that uh I’m taking some credit for their turnaround because when James Harden and I had that

Long interview a couple weeks ago in San Francisco and he unpacked a lot of his feelings about Philly and and Houston and all these different things uh they started winning the next day man and next thing you know they they win 13 out of 15 um they lose to the Lakers but

They come back last night and and take care of the Raptors they’re good uh I’m going to write next week uh and for the YouTubers sorry suddenly look like I’m up in an airplane or something the sunlight hard you’re like on a like an album you know it’s like the the S shot

Like an 80s album cover or something here I’m gonna fix it um they live TV yes um there we go much better um they oh now I lost my train of thought you’re talking about the Clippers and what they were doing the Clippers no they look good oh I’m gonna

Write next week about the Suns and I actually yesterday was a good day on the on the reporting front um pretty good conversations with Kevin Durant and stick with me here I’ll get to the Clippers Durant Bradley Beal and Devin Booker and and actually spoke to all

Three of those guys about what I think is an interesting comparison between them and the Clippers and the idea that you have these three perimeter players who are you know perennial allars future Hall of Famers um who are trying to make it work well the Clippers right out the

Gate when they got James Harden they lost five or six in a row they were terrible Russell Westbrook goes to the bench things get better um the suns are in it right now but a lot of the the themes are are similar so I’m curious to

See if Phoenix can find its way because they just haven’t had a lot of court time together with their three guys and their goal should be to to do what the Clippers have done which is I mean for one the the massive difference between those two situations is that people can

Hate on Harden all they want but when he’s locked in um he’s a pretty damn good player and more specifically pretty damn good point guard and the Suns you know are asking Devin Booker to play that role he’s good at it he’s not James Harden and Harden running that Clippers

Offense finding Kawhi Leonard Paul George running an absolute ton of pick and roll uh has been key and they’re dangerous you know zubach has been a really good fit with Harden um West Brook is hot and cold Off the Bench but Norm Powell playing well so they look

Really dangerous they to me they’re they’re getting pretty close to to being uh legitimately in that title contending conversation so they lock up Kawai I think you know like he said in his press conference Paul George and and maybe James are to come this summer we’ll see if Paul gets extended in

Advance of that but uh Steve Balmer has got to be feeling good these days the Clippers owner has got his his own Arena coming next season um that game that I went to on Sunday little fun fact was the last time that the Clippers will ever have been the road team in their

Own building because that was a Lakers game so they they’re going to get out you know they’re trying to get out from underneath that Lakers Shadow and uh with with the stakes incredibly high it’s it’s good timing for them to have pulled it together and actually played

Some good basketball well I know the next couple weeks is going to be an adventure for a lot of us for you as well we always love talking to you uh and we look forward to seeing you soon thank you so much for joining us again

You got it thanks Jay talk soon buddy yeah for sure Sam mic again just incredible stuff that Sam provides each and every week we always look forward to that lots of you do too as well we appreciate you guys uh hopping on there on our YouTube or on our chats or

Certainly on the text line but incredible work by the Athletics Sam amch we break we come back more show coming up when we

The Athletic’s Sam Amick joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross on Thursday morning to relay the latest updates surrounding Sacramento’s pursuit of Pascal Siakam, breakdown the current market for the All-Star forward, and much more.

Thank you for watching. Don’t forget to hit the thumbs up and subscribe!
#nba #sacramentokings #pascalsiakam #nbatraderumors

Subscribe at: https://www.youtube.com/c/Sports1140KHTK/?sub_confirmation=1
Find Sactown Sports 1140 online: https://t.co/K0vdSg5o1w
Listen live to Sactown Sports 1140: https://player.listenlive.co/55401
Like Sactown Sports 1140 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SactownSports
Like Sactown Sports 1140 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sactown1140
Follow Sactown Sports 1140 on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sactown1140
App download Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bonneville.khtk&hl=en_US&gl=US
App download iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sports-1140-khtk/id1314735220