Pascal Siakam offered some brutally honest thoughts about his time with the Toronto Raptors after he came up just short of winning his second NBA title on Sunday night.
Siakam had 16 points and 4 rebounds in the Indiana Pacers’ 103-91 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The result was disappointing, but Siakam suggested it beats playing in Toronto.
Following the loss, Siakam said he was in a “dark” place with his career before the Raptors traded him to Indiana midway through the 2023-24 season.
“Couple years ago, I think basketball was just, kind of dark for me. It was not fun at all,” Siakam said, via Sportsnet. “And I got traded here and these guys, they just gave me a boost — starting with (Tyrese Haliburton) obviously — just playing with these guys has been so incredible. Just finding my joy for the game.”
Siakam spent the first seven-plus years of his career with the Raptors. He enjoyed success in Toronto and helped the team win a championship in 2019. The Raptors landed three first-round picks when they traded him to the Pacers.
Toronto decided to build around Scottie Barnes, which may have left Siakam feeling like the team did not appreciate him enough. Raptors president Masai Ujiri eventually expressed regret over the way the situation was handled.
Siakam averaged 20.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in his first full season with the Pacers. He signed a 4-year, $189.5 million contract with the team a year ago.
