Pascal Siakam has officially said goodbye to the Raptors organization, but not Toronto.
The former Raptors star and current Indiana Pacer took to The Players Tribune on Friday morning. The article detailed both his mentality over the past couple of weeks amid a flurry of trade rumours, and the love that he grew for a city that he called home since he was drafted 27th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft.
"I felt like it’s something I can’t control, so let me just block out the noise and try to focus on playing at my highest level." said Siakam in his article. "Plus, we heard so many rumours and then they never became anything. So you almost start thinking it’s not real.
"But I guess at some point the Raptors pretty much made it known they were going in a different direction, and didn’t want to extend me, and a trade was definitely about to happen. All of a sudden it wasn’t rumors anymore."
Siakam's name had been in the trade rumour mill since the summer of 2023, when reports began to surface around NBA Summer League time that the Raptors franchise player was available. Sportsnet's Michael Grange revealed this week that "those close to him say he was both bewildered and heartbroken, to varying degrees, by the turn of events."
Raptors president Masai Ujiri took to the media Thursday afternoon for a press conference detailing his relationship with Siakam since that time, stating that it was incredibly tough to deal homegrown talent, and that he wished he handled the split better from the start.
"I think the lines of communication in the summer were not that great," said Ujiri on Thursday. "Just because sometimes I don't have answers. And sometimes the answer that I'm giving you is the same answer that I'm going to give you the next time I speak to you.
"But based on my relationship, Pascal deserved that I even gave him the over-communication, which I didn't, and I apologized to him for it."
The 29-year-old from Cameroon detailed his thought process on why it was tough for him to leave the place he's been in for his entire NBA career.
"My agent, you know, he’s doing his job, focusing me on the future, trying to remind me how there’s good things ahead. So he’s like, 'P, though….. where do you see yourself?'
"And I’ll be honest what I answered. I was like, 'Where do I see myself? I mean…… Toronto.'"
Siakam believes that it wasn't impossible for him to imagine Toronto as the only city listed under his name for his entire career, stating that he never asked for a trade, was since he was a key part of bringing the city their first championship win, he wanted to be there when they raised the trophy for the second time.
Ultimately, the two-time NBA All-Star understood that it's a business, and the Raptors have a "right to decide when it’s time for an era to end."
Siakam spends most of the article detailing why he believes Toronto is and will always be special, from the diversity within the city, to the organization and players in the Raptors organization that helped to mould him into the person that he is today, and his forever connection with the fans.
"It’s so much love. Not just the love I feel for them, but that I’ve shared with them." continued Siakam. "The way that people in Canada have fallen in love with the Raptors while I’ve been here, it’s like it happened in just the right way, at the right time. When we were really ready for it — and needed it.
"So when we won, it’s not just the usual cliche to be like, 'this championship belongs to everyone.' With 2019, we really felt that it’s everyone. Like it was this moment that changed people’s lives.
He does emphasize the hardest point of his career: the NBA Bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Raptors' quest to defend the NBA Title, Siakam struggled on the court, and ultimately Toronto fell short on what was otherwise an incredibly successful season.
Siakam believes that he felt like he wasn't at his best both physically and mentally, and he felt like the team let down Toronto.
"It was tough in those moments. I would get messages from trolls filled with these hurtful things, racist things. And being so isolated in the pandemic, it really weighed heavy on me.
"But our fans had a big part in helping me through it. Getting to play in front of our home crowds, and being reminded of the amazing community I have in Toronto, that helped me feel like myself again.
"I’ll always be grateful."
Siakam then closes out the article with a story about how excited he got when he spotted his first No. 43 Raptors jersey in the audience at a game. He noted that there may be less of his jerseys in the crowd as time moves on, but hopes to still see one when he returns to Toronto on Feb. 14 for the first time on a different team.
In his eight seasons with Toronto, Spicy P has forever etched his name in Raptors lore, holding many trophies in his tenure, including a D-League MVP and championship with the Raptors 905 in 2017, the Most Improved Player award in 2019, two All-Star and All-NBA nods, and of course, NBA Champion.
He is currently placed in the top-ten in a plethora of statistical categories for the near 30-year-old franchise, placing fifth for games played (510), fifth in points (8,875), third in rebounds (3,324), and fifth in assists (1,846)
Siakam finished the article by clarifying that while he'll be in different colours for the next chapter of his career, Toronto will continue to be where his life is.
"This isn’t 'thanks for the memories,' then I go someplace else. Basketball can take me all over the world. But like I said: This is home.
"I'm Toronto Forever."
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