If being the second-most important player during the Raptors’ only title in franchise history wasn’t good enough to secure his future there, with Toronto’s intentions of moving him becoming more and more evident throughout this past year, then who could blame him for becoming cynical about the ways of this NBA world? These might seem like small moments, but Siakam spent these recent years on the lookout for league-wide revelations about how certain teams truly saw him and his game. Rest assured Siakam is aware of Carlisle’s championship credentials as a coach (with the 2010-11 Mavericks) and as a player (with the 1985-86 Celtics). He remembers hearing that Pacers coach Rick Carlisle voted for him as an All-Star reserve last season when he didn’t make the initial cut but was added to the team as an injury replacement. He remembers how Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan showed him so much love in 2016, when the then- Charlotte Hornets GM and the Raptors’ Masai Ujiri were the only ones telling Siakam’s camp that he was in serious consideration for their first-round pick (the Hornets ultimately took Malachi Richardson with the 22nd pick, then later traded him to Sacramento for Marco Bellinelli the Raptors took Siakam with the 27th pick). That sort of holistic observation might sound strange, especially since this partnership hasn’t even started yet, but it’s born out of actual events that all played a part in forming how he saw this team. For starters, Siakam feels seen and respected by this Pacers group. To hear the key figures from both sides break down the deal afterward was to understand why rival executives had pegged the Pacers as the leader in the clubhouse here some weeks ago - if not months. So long as this goes like they all think it will, Siakam appears to be all-in on wanting to be a Pacer. And so much for the notion of him joining former Raptors coach Nick Nurse and Joel Embiid in Philadelphia this summer. This would not have been the case with Atlanta or Golden State - and certainly not with Sacramento. He’s known to be seeking a full-term, max-salary deal and had previously signaled a desire to keep his options open, so it’s quite telling that there was a shared willingness to frame their future in this sort of way. There was instant talk about the high likelihood of Siakam re-signing in Indiana this summer, with his looming free agency and the problematic prospect of him being a rental not nearly as much of a concern for these Pacers (23-17 7th in the East) as it was for the rest of his suitors. The clarity finally came on Wednesday, when the 29-year-old, two-time All-Star was sent to that Hoosier basketball-loving state in the Midwest, and the fit - for now and the long-term - was celebrated with equal ecstasy on both sides.
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