Why the Kings traded away Tyrese Haliburton to the Pacers in one of the decade’s most shocking moves

On the eve of the 2022 NBA commerce deadline, the Sacramento Kings made a stunning transfer by buying and selling Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers in a deal centered round star massive man Domantas Sabonis. Sacramento was feeling the stress of getting the longest playoff drought in Northern American skilled sports activities, with an proprietor in Vivek Ranadivé who was hesitant to embrace a full rebuild centered round Haliburton and De’Aaron Fox.

The Kings had a log jam of level guards with Fox, Haliburton and Davion Mitchell on the roster with no true viable middle exterior of Richaun Holmes. Haliburton was Sacramento’s finest commerce asset to enhance the roster instantly. Fox had simply signed a five-year, $163 million contract extension, and Haliburton was on Yr 2 of his rookie-scale deal — making him a extra fascinating participant to dish out by way of commerce.

Within the brief time period, the deal paid for Sacramento. The Kings broke a 16-year playoff drought, received 48 video games and completed with the perfect offensive ranking (119.4) in NBA historical past earlier than, paradoxically, the Pacers broke that document the next season en path to a berth within the Japanese Convention finals.

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Sabonis earned All-NBA honors and was the offensive hub of a potent unit centered round dribble handoffs, creating open 3-pointers throughout the move of the offense and tempo. The Kings misplaced in seven video games to the Golden State Warriors within the first spherical of the 2023 NBA Playoffs and have not returned to the playoffs since after back-to-back losses within the Play-In Event.

Haliburton getting shipped to Indiana allowed him to unlock his full potential as among the finest guards and offensive engines within the NBA. The Kings, in fact, ended up buying and selling Fox earlier than the 2025 commerce deadline to the San Antonio Spurs and now have a evident want for some extent guard heading right into a important offseason.

In the meantime, the Pacers are three wins away from the franchise’s first NBA Finals berth in 25 years after Haliburton recorded 31 factors and 11 assists throughout a dramatic Recreation 1 comeback 138-135 win in extra time over the New York Knicks. 

Is there a situation the place Haliburton and Fox co-exist in Sacramento collectively within the backcourt? It is attainable. Let’s dive into why the Kings finally broke up that core and the way we reached this level.

Trying again on Haliburton’s time with the Kings

On the evening of the 2020 NBA Draft, Haliburton shockingly fell to Sacramento at choose No. 12. Within the weeks and days main as much as the draft, Haliburton was projected as a top-10 choose in most mock drafts. The Kings had wants at wing and middle however took the perfect participant on the board obtainable regardless of already having their franchise level guard in Fox on the roster.

Within the first month of Haliburton’s rookie season, it grew to become obvious he was among the finest gamers from his draft class. In his sixth NBA sport, Haliburton logged 35 minutes off the bench and scored 15 of his 17 complete factors within the fourth quarter throughout a 128-124 win over the Chicago Bulls.

A daily season sport is not something to write down residence about, however that evening marked the primary glimpse of what Haliburton may do working the present. Haliburton logged intensive minutes in opposition to Chicago as a result of Fox obtained damage within the first quarter and didn’t return to the sport.

Haliburton began simply 20 video games for Sacramento throughout his rookie season. When he did come off the bench, the Kings tended to stagger Fox and Haliburton, so that they did not share the courtroom. In Yr 2, the Kings inserted Haliburton within the beginning lineup subsequent to Fox earlier than buying and selling him away after he began 51 video games.

In Haliburton’s remaining sport in Sacramento, he dished out 17 assists in a win over the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder. 4 video games earlier than that, he scored a career-high 38 factors whereas Fox was sidelined due to an ankle damage. The Athletic reported within the weeks main as much as the commerce deadline that the Kings deliberate to construct round Fox and Haliburton collectively, which by no means materialized.

Why the Fox-Hali pairing did not work in Sacramento

Haliburton shared the courtroom with Fox for 960 minutes through the 2020-21 season, which was Sacramento’s ninth-most-popular two-man lineup. The star backcourt posted a -4.7 web ranking – the second-worst amongst Sacramento’s two-man lineups that logged at the very least 500 minutes collectively. Fox and Haliburton had a fair worse web ranking the next season (-5.3) in 853 minutes.

This pairing would have by no means labored long-term due to their comparable play kinds. Fox is a high-usage guard who thrives within the midrange, whereas Haliburton has proven he might be an elite offensive engine on his personal.

The Kings traded Haliburton for Sabonis to go all-in on the Fox and Sabonis pairing. Sacramento desperately wished to finish the longest playoff drought in NBA historical past and considered Sabonis as that lacking piece. Indiana wished to reset its timeline by including a blue-chip expertise and made subsequent strikes to go from a lottery staff right into a championship contender.