Haliburton status and other Pacers notes ahead of Game 6 tip
The Pacers are at home hoping to extend the NBA Finals to a Game 7.
Throughout this long playoff run by the Pacers, I’ve tried to take a moment here and there to appreciate what is going on. The Pacers host Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night, highlighting one of the great NBA seasons in franchise history and by far, the most impressive season in the 19 years I’ve been covering the team.
Game 6 will not be played without drama, however. The Pacers will try to extend the series with Tyrese Haliburton listed as questionable with a calf strain. So even the best case scenario won’t have the good guys firing on all cylinders.
“I want to be out there,” Haliburton said after the team’s walk through practice on Wednesday. The plan is to make every effort to use any treatment modern science allows to play in Game 6. Check that, not just play but make an impact in Game 6…of the NBA Finals.
That is the balancing act Rick Carlisle, the front office and medical staff will try to manage. According to Shams Charania this afternoon, Haliburton has every intention of playing, but the 5 p.m. ET walk through will the first test for the medical crew to make a call. Also, the reported injury would have Haliburton sidelined for multiple weeks, according to Shams, were this the regular season.
So…there is no good answer in this situation. Obviously, if Haliburton tries to play and is compromised, it shouldn’t take long to go to Plan B. The thoughts of Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard sitting on the floor after calf strains turned in to Achilles ruptures is not something anyone wants to consider. While those two were much older than Haliburton, Jayson Tatum went through the same thing earlier in the playoffs against the Knicks and he’s much closer to Haliburton’s age.
The risk of a more severe injury jeopardizing next season, as well is impossible to look past. Add to the risk that Haliburton will still have to deal with Lu Dort shadowing his every move and the ask increases in difficulty. The Thunder guard forces elite playmaking and movement which Haliburton has had to battle before the injury. At less than 100 percent, it seems like a recipe for disaster if the body can’t keep up with the mind and instincts.
As you may deduce, I’d prefer Haliburton take the safe route and sit out Game 6 which would allow for an exhale when considering the big picture. Should he play, we can sneak in gasps of breath, hoping for the best in both results and health on the court.
Hopefully, the basketball gods will lend their healing grace on Haliburton or at least keep him at status quo. I would love to raise a glass in a toast to being wrong.
Draft trade
The Pacers front office continues to grind through the Finals, making a draft trade on Tuesday to reclaim their 2026 first round pick, as Shams also reported.
NBA draft deal: The Indiana Pacers are trading their No. 23 pick and the rights to Mojave King to the New Orleans Pelicans for Indiana's own 2026 first-round pick back which the Pelicans had previously acquired, sources tell ESPN.
What appears to be an administrative move, gives the Pacers much more flexibility in their continual quest to improve and compete for championships. The 2026 No. 26, pick which was an asset used to acquire Pascal Siakam, was also tying up the team’s 2027 due to protections on the pick.
The Pacers have no room at the inn for a new young player with Jarace Walker, Johnny Furphy and Bennedict Mathurin still hunting for minutes. Plus, not paying a first round pick can save the Pacers around $3 million in cap space as they likely work to re-sign Myles Turner without going too deep into the luxury tax.
Looking ahead, the pick levels out the Pacers future draft pick situation to comply with the Stepien Rule that restricts teams to not trading consecutive picks. Now the 2026 and 2027 picks are in the fold, allowing the Pacers to trade multiple picks in even or odd years, should they want to make a big trade.
Turner’s contract and Mathurin’s extension will require major decisions and now the Pacers have all of their draft pick “powder” dry to remain flexible regardless of how negotiations go with both players.