After making their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 10 years, the good vibes continue for the Indiana Pacers. Star forward Pascal Siakam re-signed with the club on a king-sized deal, but not without making a funny slip-up in his press conference.
Siakam accidentally thanked his old club instead of the Pacers on Monday.
“I wanna thank the Raptors…uh, the Pacers organization just for trusting me,” the two-time All-Star said.
Siakam was drafted 27th overall by Toronto in 2016, and stayed with the club until getting traded to Indiana in January. The Raptors sent Siakam to the Pacers for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, and three first-round picks.
Indiana has undoubtedly won the trade so far, as the Cameroon native averaged 21.3 points per game on 54.9% shooting with 7.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists across 41 regular-season contests with the team last year. He continued producing in the playoffs, leading to his new four-year, $189 million extension.
Siakam continued talking up the franchise, via Sports Illustrated's Tony East.
“I'm just super excited about the future of the team,” the 2019 NBA champion said. “I just can't wait for us to continue to get to work.”
Will Siakam and point guard Tyrese Haliburton ever reach the promised land together?
The Pacers are one or two more big moves away from championship contention
One point that Siakam emphasized was his offseason meeting with head coach Rick Carlisle and a group of team coaches and executives. The 30-year-old appreciated the time and effort they put towards making him feel desired.
“It was great,” Siakam said. “Just them taking the time and coming, just talking with me. And I think for me, it's just getting to know each other. They get to know who I am as a player, as a competitor,” Siakam said of the meeting. “For me, the goals were there. I always want to be [on] a team that aspires to win… we just had everything aligned for us.”
On top of that, he loves Gainbridge Fieldhouse, as the blue and gold's fanbase constantly packs it out and provides fierce energy.
“It's incredible,” he said of the home environment. “Because of the energy, the passion.”
While Indiana's current core of Siakam, Haliburton, and big man Myles Turner will certainly keep them in the playoffs year to year, it may be hard to continually make Conference Finals appearances. The Milwaukee Bucks will run it back with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, the New York Knicks added Mikal Bridges, and the Philadelphia 76ers added Paul George. Of course, the defending-champion Boston Celtics still lurk as well.
However, Siakam's extension is a step in the right direction for the Pacers, and sets the foundation they need to possibly attract another star in the future.
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