Pacers notes: Haliburton recovery underway, NBA draft up next
The Pacers star guard is on the long road to recovery while the team is forced to look toward next season with NBA draft this week.
Roughly 24 hours after Tyrese Haliburton was pounding the floor, lamenting his Achilles injury in OKC, the Pacers star guard was out of surgery and ready to attack the long rehab road back to playing.
Haliburton shared a picture and some heartfelt (and NOT PR polished) words about the emotions he’s gone through dealing with the sudden end to his season and his resolve to go to work to return and continue fighting for the Pacers to win a championship.
Among the comments Haliburton shared was a confirmation that he had no regrets for risking this very injury for a chance to bring a championship to Indy. At 25, Haliburton will likely miss enough of next season that even an unexpected return won’t have him near 100 percent on the floor. But that still leaves his prime years ahead of him, assuming there are no setbacks throughout the rehab process.
Ready of not, the team will now weigh its options for how they deal with Haliburton’s absence next year. Making any major trades that weren’t already under consideration, seems short sided at best with so many young players ready for more minutes.
While a season without Haliburton screams of a lost season for the Pacers, the option to re-sign Myles Turner and wait out the injury while letting Benn Mathurin, Jarace Walker and Johnny Furphy expand their role would make for an interesting season. Look no further than the fourth quarter of Game 7 for the fight this group can provide any opponent, even without Haliburton.
This group has been through some stuff and with Pascal Siakam, TJ McConnell and Turner, the Pacers maintain a veteran presence as Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith close in on their prime years with an immense amount of high pressure, playoff experience to lean on.
Rick Carlisle made an appearance on The Morning Show on 107.5FM (here’s a link, go to 1:00:00-ish mark) on Tuesday morning and mentioned that the team’s No. 1 priority is working out a deal with Turner. Of course, he also lauded the Pacers front office for swapping their 2025 first round pick for their 2026 first round pick, assuming it will be a higher pick, so reality vs. high hopes slipped out.
Regardless, while Haliburton’s injury may have ruined the Pacers championship hopes for next season, it doesn’t alter those same hopes going forward once he returns. No team is ever completely the same from year-to-year which is why the magical season we just witnessed and all of the players who contributed to that magic need to be appreciated.
Any changes to the roster heading into next year will likely come in a hurry with the NBA draft and free agency signing period kicking off with the first round of the draft on Wednesday night. The Pacers currently have the No. 54 overall pick in the second round which will take place on Thursday evening. No doubt, there will be plenty of teams inquiring on potential deals for a few of the Pacers.
There have already been several big names swapping teams and in the East, the Boston Celtics moving Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis (so far) show how quick things can change. The 2024 champs are dealing with their own Achilles issue which will keep Jayson Tatum out for most of next season. Unlike the Pacers, the Celtics were also deep into the 2nd Apron of the luxury tax, something then needed to work their way out of before the 2025-26 season begins.
The Pacers could go into the luxury tax and even the first apron, if they sign Turner for say, $30-ish million. Bennedict Mathurin is also extension eligible, but Benn may want the opportunity to show his worth in a starting role this season. Again, assuming the Pacers don’t make any drastic trades over the next two weeks.
Whew, two days after a depressing end to the season and the offseason is already off the rails.
Looking at the late second round, the Pacers may be in the market for point guard depth with Andrew Nembhard and TJ McConnell manning the spot in Haliburton’s absence. They will need a third option and moving up for a Tyler Proctor and Ryan Nembhard may be the move if either falls close enough to make that jump worthwhile. The Pacers could also turn to Quenton Jackson or RayJ Dennis to fill that role on a minimum deal.
Regardless of how the roster shakes out with Haliburton sidelined, the Pacers still won’t be a fun team for opponents to play in 2025-26.