In February 2022, the Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings made a major trade that changed the future outlook of both teams. In the trade, the Pacers received guard Tyrese Haliburton, along with Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson, in exchange for Domanatas Sabonis, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb, and a second-round draft pick.
Over two years later, the trade can be considered a win for both sides. Sabonis has been a double-double machine, leading the league in rebounding and finishing top-10 in MVP voting in each of the last two seasons.
As for Indiana, Haliburton has turned into an All-NBA player who has not even entered the peak of his career yet and is leading the Pacers to their most successful run in a decade.
However, it is tough to look at the current state of both teams and not think the Pacers have benefitted from the trade at least a little bit more than Sacramento has.
Last season, Haliburton led the Pacers to a surprising Eastern Conference Finals appearance as the No. 6 seed. And although the team eventually got swept by the eventual champion Boston Celtics, the Pacers still gave them their toughest challenge of the entire postseason.
Additionally, Haliburton has been selected to Team USA and is constantly improving as a player and face of the franchise. In July 2023, Haliburton signed a five-year, $244.6 million contract extension that will keep him around through the 2028-29 season.
On the flip side, Sabonis' Kings failed to make the playoffs during the 2023-24 season. The team ended the season with a 46-36 record, one game worse than Indiana's record, and finished as the No. 9 seed. Sacramento defeated the Golden State Warriors in the first Play-In game, but they lost to the New Orleans Pelicans, who got swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
This offseason, the Kings acquired DeMar DeRozan in a sign-and-trade from the Chicago Bulls. Sacramento gave DeRozan a three-year contract worth $76.7 million. Though DeRozan is a good player, adding a soon-to-be 35-year-old who does not fit the team's timeline can be considered a bit of a panic move.
Indiana is certainly in a better place right now than Sacramento is. It is not to say the Kings cannot make it back to the playoffs next season, but when considering both team's directions, it is easier to feel more optimistic about the Pacers' future than the Kings'.
Tyrese Haliburton received 'stamp of approval' from Indiana legends Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas
In February, Haliburton spoke about Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas essentially deeming him the next face of Indiana basketball.
"Any time you get love from legends and the ones who came before you, it means the world. For me, in Indy, those are two of the biggest figures in the sport, and I got their stamp of approval. Those are people who I have relationships with, and I can get on the phone with them whenever I need to. I’m thankful I have those people in my life," Haliburton said.
"Any time that legends show you love, you’ve got to listen and you’ve got to reflect on it. People probably don’t even know where I’m from. They’ve never even heard about Oshkosh, Wisconsin. So that is a cool thing about it."