In this episode of the Draymond Green Show, host Draymond Green sits down with Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam to discuss the fallout from the DeMar DeRozan‑for‑Kawhi Leonard trade. Siakam describes the immediate "shock value" of seeing DeRozan, a close friend and teammate, leave Toronto, recounting his personal hurt and the business‑side contemplation of a star player being moved. He then shifts to his reaction to Kawhi Leonard joining the Raptors, noting his admiration for Leonard’s rise from a mid‑major college to NBA superstar and expressing excitement about learning from him, while also acknowledging uncertainty about how the new roster would gel. The conversation moves to the preseason mindset, with Siakam explaining that the team didn’t initially picture a championship run but recognized they had a strong roster and hoped the addition of Kawhi could push them over the hump. Finally, Siakam reflects on his on‑court rivalry with fellow Cameroonian Joel Embiid during the 2022 playoff series, describing the playful “beef” rooted in hometown pride (Douala vs. Yaoundé) and emphasizing that, despite the competitive banter, there is mutual respect and friendship off the court. The interview wraps up with Green’s sign‑off.
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So y'all went to NBA Finals your third year. The two years leading up to that, Kyle and DeMar, leaders of the team. And you guys are having great regular seasons, great regular seasons. And eventually you run into LeBron in the playoffs and can't quite get over the hump. It's like, it almost looked like LeBron's just, "All right, I'll get to the Raptors and I'll win, no problem." Right, right, right. You guys then go on to trade DeMar for Kawhi Leonard. When you see that trade happen, I'm super close to DeMar. I know you have a relationship with DeMar as well. So number one, you see that trade happen. What are you thinking about the business of basketball? Number one, to see your number one player get traded.
Yep.
And at that early in your career, what are you thinking about the business? But then also, what are you thinking when you see that y'all got Kawhi Leonard coming in?
Right. Yeah, no, I think that, like, obviously, like, instantly, like, the first thing is just the shock value of everything, right? Like, 'cause I think for everyone, we saw DeMar in Vegas. Like, we saw DeMar in Vegas before all that. So, like, for us, it's like, yo, we saw DeMar. We have our meetings that we usually do. We in Vegas, it's Summer League coming up. Like, so we hanging out. So, like, I see DeMar. So from that, It was just like the shock value of it. It's like, yo, like, what is happening? Like, I'm just, I'm confused. And obviously, like, for someone that's just close to DeMar and like just love him as a person, like, bro, like DeMar as a player, he was always one of my favorite players. I always used to tell him, like, even when he was on our team, I'm like, yo, like, you one of my favorites. Like, just the mid-range, like the things that he just looks so easy and effortless for him, like the way he was doing it. So I think just from being a fan, And also, and then also being like his teammate and his brother, I'm like, I'm hurt, right? Because I'm like, yo, like, this is, this is crazy. And, and like you said, it's early on in my career. I'm thinking like, like this can, like if that happened to Draymond Green, like I don't, I can't even imagine what's going to happen to me. You know what I mean? So that's the way I'm thinking about it. Like, yo, like this is crazy. So those are the first things. And then after, after the shock value, everything calmed down. You're upset, you mad, you know, like you in your room, you upset about everything. But then after that, you think about like the player that you're getting. And Kawhi Leonard, like another person that I watched, you know what I mean? For me, like just someone that went to San Diego State, mid-major. I was a mid-major. Like he came in the NBA, like he wasn't really like doing all these things. Like he was a defender. Like he was, it was this and that. And then he became this huge star. So that's another person that I'm like, yo, like I watched from far and I'm like, yo, like his game is dope. And so from that, I'm just like, yo, I'm excited. Like, yo, like, this is crazy, you know? Like, getting an opportunity to play with someone like that and being on the same team, being able to learn from him. So after the shock, it was just like kind of like excitement to see like, yo, what can we do with this person? Because we've got a player that's, you know, that's like really, really, really, really good, you know? So yeah.
And, you know, you guys, summer plays, how you guys going in training camp, are you thinking at that time like that Kawhi is possibly the guy that gets us over the hump? Because again, what you just mentioned was, A, you're in Toronto where no one's talking championships. Like it's Toronto, like basketball isn't that, and let's like, basketball has grown in Toronto over the last 15, 20 years, but hockey's, the biggest thing in Toronto, hockey and Draymond Green. Like, and now— I mean, I don't know about all that. No, no, no, that was the case. But now you guys have changed that. But that change also comes with winning a championship.
For sure.
When your rookie year, that wasn't the case. Like, but then you guys win a championship and now a lot of people care about the Raptors. But are you thinking at that point, you guys are going into camp, you got Kawhi Leonard like, yo, this team can possibly win a championship. Was that the conversation around the team going in?
I don't think for us, like for me, I don't think, for Kawhi, I think it was, you know, but for us it was just like, again, obviously like we've never done it before. So like, you know, like obviously we want to be, we always had great, great teams, you know, like we go to playoffs, we do everything. So we thinking we are a great team, but at the end of the day, you don't really think ahead of that. Like you don't really think like, like it doesn't get in your mind right away, you know what I mean? Because it's just like, something that you really haven't done. But just looking at our roster and the players that we have, I'm like, yo, like, we have a damn good team. You know what I mean? Like, that's what I'm thinking. You know, but I don't know to what extent. Like, I don't know how it's gonna work with Kawhi. We never played together. Like, so at that point, like, I don't know what's happening. You know, like, I had no idea. Obviously, it was Nick was the coach.
Mm-hmm.
Like, all these different things. Like, it's just a little different. And And I had literally no idea what was gonna happen at that point, you know, like, so I couldn't really pinpoint, like, from the beginning of the season, I couldn't see that. I couldn't see it right away. Sure. While the season was going, then you kind of like, oh my God, like, this is getting interesting, you know? Like, I think that's what I would say, yeah.
You guys end up matching up with the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the playoffs, and Obviously we all know Kawhi hit the big shot in the corner, bounce, bounce, it drops in. But I thought there was something interesting that took place in that series with a fellow Cameroonian for yourself and Joel Embiid. And you came out then and you said, "He's a fake tough guy." Ah. And I would like to know, A, number one, what made you say that then? And where do y'all relationships stand now being, you know, two guys from the same country?
Right. Nah, I think it's just, it's all love. Cause I think he's, where I'm from, you know, I'm from Douala, he's from Yaoundé, right? Like we, if you, if you're from Cameroon or you know anything about Cameroon, like those are the two cities, right? It's like Douala, Yaoundé. And it's always back and forth, like just like always talking trash. Beef, like whatever you want to call it. We have the best city. We have the best girls. We have the best parties. Like we always, you know, so it's always like that, that little back and forth. So I think for us, like just going back and playing against each other, like every time we do, it's like, it's always that, like that little, like, I just want to do better for my city. Cause I know that, you know, we better than y'all. You know what I'm saying? Like, so that's always that. So, and you know, Joel, like he's not going to hold, his tongue. He's not going to hold his punches. Like, he's going to talk. He's going to do all that. And when we play against each other, he's going to make sure that I don't score. Like, he's going to, like, be there helping, do whatever he got to do. Like, you know what I mean? Like, just because of that. But in terms of our relationship, like, actually, like, it's like, nah, like, we cool. You know what I mean? Like, we talk all the time. And it's like, it's always love. Like, at the end of the day, like, two kids from where we from, like, being at this level, like, it's— it's unheard of, you know what I mean? Like, obviously we had our big brothers that was there before us, like the Luka Omute, like the Bumche Bumche, like all those people. But to be at this level, like, and play where we at, like, it's crazy, you know? So definitely we feel blessed and stuff. But at the end of the day, once we go on the court, like, it's beef. Like, we at it.
Ain't no friends. Ain't no friends on this court. I'm at your neck. What's up everybody? It's Draymond Green. Make sure you subscribe to the Volumes YouTube channel below. So you don't miss any more of this great content going forward. Thank you.
