The Pacers’ trade in NBA Finals suddenly looks genius after Tyrese Haliburton’s injury
It is not often that a team does a job while he plays in the NBA final, but the Indiana Pacers succeeded last week. While Indiana was locked in an intense battle with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the front office has finished a trade with the New Orleans Pélicans who suddenly resemble a stroke of genius according to the worst possible scenario taking place in the series.
Tyrese Haliburton suffered an Achilles injury in the first quarter of match 7 which ended his night. Oklahoma City Thunder beat Indiana, 103-91, to win the NBA championship. Haliburton has not yet had an MRI, but there is a lot of speculation that he has torn his Achilles, an injury that would cost him all next season.
Haliburton’s match 7 of Achille 7 of Achilles is one of the most heartbreaking injuries in the history of the League given the issues. He had been so heroic in the NBA qualifiers by hitting shots to capture miracle feedback in each series, including his Buzzer-battery of match 1 to darken the Thunder in the NBA final. The star railings underwent a veal strain at the start of the series, which was described as a probable injury of several weeks if it happened during the regular season. Haliburton played and played well in the victory of the Pacers season’s match after being listed as a playing decision. The bill came in a devastating way in match 7.
The Pacers will simply not be the same team if Haliburton is absent for the whole next season. Indiana could still be quite good in a large open oriental conference. Due to a job they made during the NBA final, they now have another option.
The Pacers re-acquired their choice of recovery of first round unprotected in 2026 in a business with the Pélicans of New Orleans during the NBA final. The Pacers had initially exchanged their choice to the Raptors of Toronto as part of the Siakam trade in Pascal, which was then reached in New Orleans in the trade of Brandon Ingram.
The Pacers sent their choice n ° 23 in the draft of the NBA 2025 to the Pélicans for their choice in 2026. The Pélicans wanted another choice in this project. The Pacers have taken total control of their future in the process. If the Pacers decide that they want to tank at any time next year if Haliburton is absent, they now have the possibility.
Pelicans should take Asa Newell in the latest NBA SB Nation simulation project. There will be good players on the painting in this range, but it is strange that the Pelicans would exchange an unprotected choice for as low as No. 23 this year. The fact that it is a thin project after so many players have returned to university basketball for large dummies make the decision of Pelicans even stranger. Of course, the Pélicans were probably convinced that the Pacers would be great next year after seeing how hard they played in the NBA final. As a first decision for the Joe Dumars era in New Orleans, it was not encouraging.
There is absolutely no money lining at Haliburton injury. It is the worst case for a pacers franchise that will find it difficult to return to this stage. You can never really predict how a player will recover from an Achilles tear (if that’s what happened), although Haliburton is young at 25 and, hopefully, will end up well. Let’s be clear: the Pacers could always be very good without Haliburton, the East remains terrible, and you cannot count the support of the Indiana support at this stage.
If next season does not take place as Indiana wants, at least, they have the opportunity to rotate. The draft of the NBA 2026 is absolutely loaded at the top, and if someone deserves a little luck, it is the Pacers after Haliburton’s injury.
The good teams regularly win on the margins, and the Pacers have started it again.
