Tyrese Haliburton is back and other news

Where were you June 22nd, 2025? Tyrese Haliburton was playing in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He got off to a red hot start in that game with 9 points on 3/4 from beyond the arc. If the Pacers could pull the game out, this was set up to be Tyrese Haliburton’s magnum opus to what had already been one of the most remarkable playoff runs of all-time. He looked like he was ready to get them there. Then, with 5:02 left in the first quarter, Haliburton fell to the floor and didn’t get up. He had torn his Achilles. The Pacers would lose Game 7 and lose the entire 2025-26 season along with it. The Pacers were dreadful last season, with their star player missing the entire season that is understandable. However, now Indiana is expected to return right into the thick of the Eastern Conference and their star is going to lead them.

We all remember Haliburton’s 4 epic moments of the Pacers run to Game 7. The comeback against the Bucks, the three against the Cavaliers, the prayer against the Knicks and the shot against the Thunder. That clutch gene is something you don’t forget. However, Haliburton is much more than his late game moments. His most impressive trait is his passing and how he gets everyone involved. He makes the game so much easier for his teammates. For example, Andrew Nembhard is coming off of a rough season but we should look for him to bounce back with the return of Haliburton. Ivica Zubac, acquired in February, is the Pacers new center and a big upgrade to Myles Turner, even if they did give up too much for him. Zu flourished with James Harden playing next to him and should continue to flourish with Haliburton returning next to him.

There is pressure on this Pacers team. This isn’t a Pacers preview so I won’t go too far into it but they need to prove that last year was a fluke and a gap year. That they are more the team that went to the Conference Finals in 2024 and Game 7 of the NBA Finals in 2025. There is pressure on Haliburton. He needs to click with this group, he needs to find his shot and he needs to find his decisiveness again. Indiana’s over/under on their wins total is 43.5, that isn’t great. The Pacers need to prove themselves again and I am sure they will embrace the challenge.

It is so great that Tyrese Haliburton is coming back this season. He is one of the best players in the league when he is healthy and the NBA needs its best players on the court and healthy. He is one of the best passers in the NBA and that comes from his vision. You can’t fool him with your defense because he sees everything on the court. His pace is what gets the Pacers going. Indiana was so bad last year because you took the engine out of the car and the car can’t move without the engine. His is their offensive engine, they couldn’t replicate how they play without him. A player’s vision is useless if the player can’t make the pass and Haliburton can make every pass in the book. He is also really good at splitting double teams, he can shoot the gap so quickly that the defense has no shot at stopping him, his elite handle is a key part of that. He is also an elite three point shooter. The Pacers need him to be doing all these things if they are going to be any good. I expect Haliburton to return to his elite form this season. There isn’t much Tyrese Haliburton can’t do offensively and I am so excited he is back on the basketball court. Now, let’s get into some news from around the league.

Peyton Watson to Cavs in a 5 team trade

We had a trade on Wednesday night where the Cavaliers acquired Peyton Watson in a 5 team trade and signed him to a 4-year $88 million contract. The deal sends Watson and Cam Whitmore to the Cavaliers, Max Strus to the Clippers, Dennis Schroder to the Hornets, Tre Mann and a 2027 2nd round pick to the Wizards and a 2031 first round pick to the Nuggets. I still like Max Strus and think that is a good add for a Clippers team that is starting a rebuild, it looks like the Kawhi trade is going to go through, they can trade Strus at the deadline if they decide to as he is on an expiring contract. Schroder, meanwhile, adds guard depth for Charlotte after they traded LaMelo Ball this summer. Watson is the big part of this trade. It is a big loss for Denver who was desperate to get him back after his injury last year and were eliminated in the first round without him. They have gotten worse this summer and I am struggling to see the pathway for them to be a real contender next year. The 2nd apron has no bounds and the Nuggets are another team paying the price for it. Like the Celtics did with Jaylen Brown, I am interested to see if Denver trades Jamal Murray at some point. For the Cavaliers, Watson is a good addition, they needed more athleticism in their lineup and Watson gives them that. There are risks with this move as well. Watson has missed games throughout his career and has only had 1 season of good NBA production, trading a 2031 first round pick and giving $88 million to sign this player shows there are risks involved for the Cavaliers. He also isn’t a great three point shooter on a team that starts 2 non-shooting bigs in their starting 5. However, this is a team that needs to get better and Watson makes them a better team. I am unsure where they stack up in the Eastern Conference right now and I am worried, for their sake, if they can really match up with the top of the conference, but this was a needed move for the Cavaliers.

Lakers and Clippers news

The Lakers were flipped by Mark Walter a year after he bought the team and Jeanie Buss is trying to keep herself as the acting Governor of the Los Angeles Lakers. Meanwhile, ESPN reported that the NBA found no wrong doing by the Clippers in the Kawhi Leonard salary cap circumvention case. However, the NBA denied that report and is still doing the investigation. Yet, ESPN had to have some good sources to get that story published so who knows what is going on there. I don’t know enough about either situation to have a take but I will say about the Lakers, selling a team a year after buying it is not something we see ever so it for sure raises some red flags. Also, you can understand why Jeanie Buss doesn’t want to sell the team but she is outnumbered 5 to 1 by her siblings.