Tyrese Haliburton was traded from Sacramento to Indiana in a deal that can best be described as both teams in rebuilding mode trying to see what might fit.  Sacramento made the playoffs first after the deal, but the Pacers landed a player who became an All-Star.

In Indiana, Haliburton had the opportunity to become more of a focal point, and he finished the 2021-22 season with the Pacers with 17.5 Points per Game over 26 contests.  In 2022-23, Haliburton started the year on fire, and he went to his first All-Star Game.  Now the top performer of his squad, Haliburton, who was injured late in the year but had the best season of his life with a double-double average of 10.1 Assists and 20.7 Points.  He was even better the year after, earning a Third Team All-NBA, another All-Star, and his first Assists Title with 10.9.  Haliburton also averaged over 20 Points per Game (20.1), and took the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals.

How do you build on that?  You shock the world and win the ECF, which the Haliburton did, while securing another Third Team All-NBA.  Haliburton was the heart and soul of the underdog Pacers team, but he tore his Achilles in Game 7, and without him, the Pacers fell to OKC.

Haliburton will miss the entirety of the 2025-26 Season, but he will be back, and watch out when he returns!