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.
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