Pascal Siakam looks forward to his future with the Pacers in press conference

Pascal Siakam has officially re-signed with the Indiana Pacers, and spirits were high at the press conference announcing the fact.

Prior to trading for Siakam on January 17, Pacers fans' main worry was him only being a half-season rental and not re-signing with the team long-term. It was this in addition to the bridge being well and truly burnt between Siakam and the Toronto Raptors that led to the star forward being traded to Indiana for a less stellar package than initially imagined. To put it bluntly, Indiana essentially robbed Toronto, getting Pascal Siakam in exchange for three non-lottery first-round picks and only one rotational player in Bruce Brown.

The hope was for Siakam to fall in love with Indiana's play style, get some success in the guaranteed half-season he spent with the team, and use that enthusiasm to re-sign with the team in the summer. This went swimmingly, as it was revealed that Siakam wanted to come to Indiana all along and he was more than looking forward to making Indiana his home, as he stated multiple times during the season. Sure enough, the Pacers got to work right as a new contract became possible, re-signing Siakam just days after the conclusion of the NBA Finals to a four-year contract worth slightly less than the max.

Following the free-agent moratorium, Siakam was officially signed, and a celebratory press conference was held in Indiana to announce his commitment to Indiana long-term. Spirits were high from the beginning, as Siakam brought his own photo camera to snap pictures of the monumental moment in his career, even getting head coach Rick Carlisle to take some pictures of him signing the contract. In his eight-year NBA career, Siakam never had an individual press conference despite signing a long-term extension before, so this clearly meant a lot to him.

Pacers president of basketball operations, Kevin Pritchard, started off the press conference talking about how the expectations on the season were initially just to make the playoffs with a high seed, which then changed following the success of the In-Season Tournament.

Following this unexpected success, Pacers brass decided to be ambitious, as they thought they were one piece away from contention, with that piece potentially being Pascal Siakam. Indeed, Siakam was Indiana's only big-time target come the trade deadline and they managed to get him for "a lot."

Pritchard continued on, saying Siakam fit everything the team was looking for, both as a player, and as a part of the culture, and that is why they signed him to the four-year max deal following a rather quick negotiation period. Pritchard also said that in his 33 years as a player, coach, and executive, the 2023-24 Indiana Pacers was the most fun he ever had with a team, citing Siakam as a prime reason for that.

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle got quickly to the point, saying that he could not think of a bigger signing the Pacers have had in their entire history. He also stated that he thinks Siakam has a lot of growth left in his game and how his love for the game trickles out into every player he interacts with. As the season went on, Carlisle said Siakam's voice became louder and louder and the team started hanging onto his every word, which helped take them on the unexpected Conference Finals run.

As the interview went on, Siakam made it more and more clear that his goal in Indiana is simple, to bring the Pacers their first championship since Mel Daniels and the ABA days. Going forward, Siakam stated how excited he was to continue his career as a Pacer and went on about how much love he has gotten from the state and fanbase as time passed. Most importantly, he went as far as to call Indiana "home" and continuously reiterated how excited he was to start the next chapter of his career in the Midwest.

Siakam further emphasized how important his first individual re-signing press conference was, as he did not get one up to this point, and shouted out everyone in the Pacers organization, from Pritchard to every player on the team, especially Tyrese Haliburton.

Siakam also emphasized how important this specific day was to him, as his father's birthday was the previous day, and, while no family members were present at the press conference, they had already congratulated him beforehand. He stated how his signing of the contract further validated his father's dream of having one of his kids play in the NBA and emphasized how important that contract was to his family and loved ones.

Going forward, Rick Carlisle and Kevin Pritchard talked about how growth from within was extra important with this team, as a full training camp with the core players could help them so much more down the line in addition to a healthy Bennedict Mathurin and more playing time for Jarace Walker who had an "incredible offseason."

Overall, spirits were very high during Pascal Siakam's re-introductory press conference. It was clear that Siakam planned to stay with Indiana from the second he landed after the trade, and the half-season that followed was just the cherry on top.

There was never a single doubt in Siakam's mind that Indiana would be his new long-term home, and it is very nice to see that prophecy finally come true. After years of overpaying mediocre free agents and scrambling to patch holes in the roster, Indiana seemingly finally has their guy.