Though the fact that the Indiana Pacers won't have Tyrese Haliburton leading the charge at point next season is truly crushing, the organization is slated to receive a significant luxury that may slightly soften the blow of his absence.
Earlier this week, during an appearance on the Setting The Pace Podcast, general manager Chad Buchanan revealed that, as a result of Haliburton's devastating Achilles injury, the ball club has been granted a disabled player exception from the NBA.
An exception like this gives an over-the-cap team rostering a player who suffers an injury that's slated to sideline them for a full season some extra spending power to use on a one-year player rental.
The value of a DPE is based on the lower price tag between half the injured player’s salary or the league's mid-level exception. Considering Haliburton's 2025-26 salary is set at $45.5 million, Indiana has the latter valuation to work with, which holds a worth of up to $14.1 million.
Pacers gifted $14.1 million DPE as a result of Tyrese Haliburton injury
While no one should be banking on them making a second consecutive NBA Finals run next season, with guys like Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard still leading the charge and coach Rick Carlisle on the sidelines, the expectation should be that this Pacers team will remain competitive.
Considering the current state of the Eastern Conference as a whole, a playoff berth is still realistically in the cards.
Because of this, with their full $14.1 million mid-level exception still intact, adding this extra DPE into the mix could lead Indiana to snatching up a number of quality talents available on the open market.
Should they wish to address their vacant floor general position during Haliburton's rehabilitation process, perhaps the idea of pursuing someone like Russell Westbrook could be an exciting experiment to try. Reuniting with former franchise point guard Malcolm Brogdon could also be an interesting option.
However, in the event that they want to flesh out their center depth following the shocking departure of Myles Turner earlier this month, guys like Chris Boucher and Precious Achiuwa could be viable options.
Maybe even bringing on a veteran like DeAndre Jordan or Bismack Biyombo to serve as mentors for James Wiseman could be a realistic approach as well.
Regardless of which direction the Pacers take, they'll have numerous options to get creative with their rotation, now that they have both the MLE and a DPE at their disposal.