Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way; Tyrese Haliburton is not getting traded anytime soon. Even if next season goes horribly awry, there is no universe in which the Indiana Pacers will give up on the engine of the offense and the star of their most successful season since the turn of the century.
The clear disclaimer here is that this is not a report, an expectation, an aggregation, or any type of breaking news. This is purely speculative.
But, seriously, what would Tyrese Haliburton's trade value look like right now? Who could even make a competitive offer for him? Would Indiana try to pivot or simply look to rebuild?
Sometimes it's hard to do thought experiments if the topic is simply too emotional to handle, and this may well be the extent of that. Pacers fans have very rarely been able to enjoy their franchise's stars in their later years with success.
Outside of Reggie Miller, Indiana has seen Danny Granger, Paul George, and Victor Oladipo all come and go, their tenures far shorter than anyone would've thought. Whether it was injury or ego, they all left through trade.
That's not a punishment that Pacers fans should have to go through again. Tyrese Haliburton deserves to come back strong, and fans deserve to see him for another 10 years.
With that being said, let's see what the NBA ecosystem would do to get him if sad historical trends claim another victim.
An unlikely deal has its mirror in a recent trade
LaMelo Ball is nowhere near the player that Tyrese Haliburton is. While they share a similar archetype as a pass-first supersized playmaker, Haliburton has better availability, lower usage, and better team and playoff success to build his case on.
As such, there's a reason that Ball was, admittedly shockingly, available for trade this offseason and Haliburton is seen as untouchable even while rehabbing an Achilles tear.
However, if we take Ball's trade return at the starting point for a Haliburton package, then that's as good a place as any for this little game.
Ball brought back Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first, multiple future pick swaps (which are functionally worthless unless the Minnesota Timberwolves crater), and multiple second-rounders.
If we pare down the agent and front office speak, it's an excellent fringe starter/top-tier bench piece with real star potential in a new role and a first. Adjusting for inflation of talent, that means Tyrese would bring back a cornerstone piece, multiple firsts, and/or something a little more exciting as a throw-in.
When thinking about a team that desperately needs point guard play, the obvious answer is the Houston Rockets. Even with Fred Van Vleet returning, Amen Thompson has proven he cannot run the show, and the lack of ballhandlers saw the Rockets lose to a 42-year-old LeBron James and their newest signee, Marcus Smart.
A deal focused on both Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson, with multiple firsts and Van Vleet as salary filler, could make sense. If Thompson's athleticism-based game was too scary to commit to, the Toronto Raptors would surely love to pair Haliburton with Scottie Barnes.
None of this conversation means anything. If Haliburton is good, he will continue to be the Pacers' face of the franchise. If he isn't, the offers won't be good for a to-be free agent in just about two seasons.
Hopefully it is the former, because Indiana sports fans can't keep dealing with their franchise faces leaving abruptly.
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