"I don't look back": Siakam reflects on exit from Raptors
After seven-and-a-half seasons with the Toronto Raptors, Pascal Siakam has all sorts of memories with his first-ever NBA organization.
But he’s also making it clear that he’s been quite happy to move on.
In town to take on the Raptors for the first time as a visiting player, Siakam spoke to reporters today at Scotiabank Arena about the move that sent him to the Indiana Pacers on January 17.
With the free-falling Raptors looking quite far from one of the NBA’s best teams and Siakam in the final year of his deal, Toronto opted to send him to Indiana in exchange for three first-round picks as well as Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and the since-departed Kira Lewis.
The trade offered Siakam the chance to move to an Indiana team currently sitting sixth in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 30-25 and in search of their first playoff series win since 2014.
And Siakam appears to be at peace with the trade nearly a month behind him.
“I don’t look back, to be honest. At the end of the day, it is what it is, man. And I’ve expressed it a thousand times, this was home for me. I’ve always wanted to be here [in Toronto] and be a part of this, but at the end of the day, I also understand what it is. And one of the things I always say, I grew up here as a kid. I came in as a young guy. I was just like ‘I’m so excited, everything was great and amazing and I’m learning,'” Siakam said today, per TSN’s Josh Lewenberg.
A 27th overall draft pick in 2016, Siakam built up quite the resume in Toronto: two All-Star appearances, two All-NBA appearances, the NBA’s Most Improved Player award in 2018-19, and of course, being a part of the 2019 NBA title-winning roster.
Raptors president Masai Ujiri was quite emotional in a press conference following the trade, given the longstanding history between the two. The pair first met when Siakam was a teenager growing up in Cameroon, with Ujiri hailing from nearby Nigeria.
“Two African guys that won a championship. I share that with him… Again, I say to you guys, that guy’s success is my success no matter where he is,” Ujiri said on January 18, the day after trading Siakam.
But Ujiri also admitted following the trade that conversations about Siakam’s future in Toronto in the last year of his contract weren’t “that great,” and he apologized both publicly and privately for poor lines of communication.
“Obviously Masai’s always been a mentor, someone that I look to. But at a certain point, it’s like, I’m growing. I’m a man at the end of the day. And to me, that communication, and just, hey man, I understand it,” Siakam said of his relationship with Ujiri. “To be honest, I get it. I understand the business. I’ve been around, so I’ve seen things happen. Just moving on from it. I’m in a situation, like I said, where it feels amazing, and at this point, I’ve kind of moved on from it. So I’m not really reflecting on that, to be honest. That’s the first time I’ve thought about that question. So, yeah, it is what it is. I wish [the Raptors] well. I talked to Scottie. I wish everyone well. I want them to succeed. And for me, I just want to continue my journey.”
Siakam’s Pacers continue that journey tonight against Toronto, with tipoff set for 7:30 pm ET at Scotiabank Arena.