Pascal Siakam is about as happy-go-lucky as they come, a young Toronto Raptors forward who’s always smiling, always happy and a guy who hadn’t felt the sting of the harsh realities of professional sports.
Until last week.
Siakam, part of one of the more unique bromances in franchise history along with fellow third-year big man Jakob Poeltl, got a lesson in just how hard things can get when his pal was unceremoniously sent packing, collateral damage in a franchise-altering trade centred around DeMar DeRozan going to San Antonio and Kawhi Leonard coming to Toronto.