Pacers say that Haliburton will be given influence many players don’t

There were some interesting things mentioned at the end of season press conferences, but there was one little nugget in particular that was eyebrow raising. Rick Carlisle seemed to hint that Tyrese Haliburton is being treated as a partner in decision making for the Indiana Pacers. 

If this is true, this is a significant move for a franchise that seems to struggle taking a star-oriented approach to roster building. For example, one of the reasons Paul George has commonly cited as a reason he wanted out of Indiana was that he wasn’t given the chance to be intricately involved in recruiting stars to join him in Indy. And whether or not there is merit to those claims, this line of statements by the Pacers leadership might be a direct response to those criticisms from George.

The praise for Tyrese was all throughout the end of season comments from leadership, including multiple comments that the Pacers expect to extend Tyrese sooner rather than later and that they expect the negotiations to be rather smooth in nature. Pritchard also heaped praise onto Haliburton’s personality and how he is one of the best “connectors” that he has ever seen/met.

All indications seem to be that Haliburton will be here for a very long time.

It seems that not only do the Indiana Pacers want Haliburton to be here, Tyrese himself might want to be here. He may want to try and recruit other stars to play here alongside him. His selfless style of play may be enticing to stars across the league. And on top of all of that? Haliburton seems to truly care about the community around him.

The Pacers are blessed to have Haliburton and we need to make sure not to take him for granted. All signs are pointing up for this franchise, and it sounds like Haliburton will be an integral part both on and off the court.