It didn't take long for the Pascal Siakam trade to pay off for the Indiana Pacers. A trip to the NBA Finals wasn't a requirement for the trade to be a win for the organization, but it certainly helped. The trade was a win for Siakam, too, who spent the first seven and a half years of his NBA career in Toronto.
Following the heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the Thunder, Siakam revealed just how much it meant for him to be with the Pacers. He said that a couple of years ago, basketball was "kind of dark" for him and "not fun at all." After the 2024 trade, Siakam said that his new teammates gave him a "boost" and that he was able to "find his joy" playing basketball again.
Siakam said all he wants to do is play with "swagger and happiness." It sounds like he needed the trade to Indiana as much as Indiana needed him.
Winning is fun (a lot of fun), but what matters most here is that Siakam found himself again. There is a lot more to athletes than what they do on the court. Yes, they get paid a lot of money playing basketball, but that doesn't make them any less human than anyone else.
Pascal Siakam says he found his joy again after Pacers trade
Siakam's first full season in Indiana felt like it was out of a storybook. The second half of the 2023-24 season went pretty well, too. Even then, the Pacers didn't receive the respect they deserved entering the 2024-25 season, and they made many people look foolish.
There isn't a team that plays harder than the Pacers. They play for each other. The feeling they gave fans this past season was indescribable. It was an unreal run.
Siakam apologized to fans for not winning, but that apology wasn't necessary. Against all odds, Indiana was one win away from unveiling a championship banner at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Who knows what would've happened if Tyrese Haliburton hadn't suffered a devastating injury in the first quarter?
It's important not to dwell too much on what could've been. With the start of next season around the corner, there are once again a lot of people who have counted Indiana out with Haliburton hurt and Myles Turner gone. They must've forgotten about a star player who goes by the name of Pascal Siakam.
The Pacers might've helped grant his wish of finding his joy, but what he's done in the past year and a half meant just as much to the organization, the city, and the fans.