The Indiana Pacers were one game away from their first NBA title this season. But if Tyrese Haliburton did suffer an Achilles tear in Game 7, the team might rethink its approach to next season.
Haliburton injured his Achilles tendon midway through the opening quarter of the Pacers’ Game 7 loss Sunday night. He’s likely to miss all of the 2025-26 season, leaving the Pacers without their two-time All-NBA point guard.
That might change the decisions that the Pacers make this summer. As the team rolled to the Finals, it seemed very likely that Indiana would re-sign free-agent center Myles Turner, even if that new deal made the team into a luxury-tax payer for the first time in two decades.
Now, if they don’t see themselves as contenders, the Pacers might consider a sign-and-trade or simply letting Turner walk. Before re-upping with the 10-year Pacers veteran, Indiana might see what a win-now team like the Los Angeles Lakers might offer it in a deal for Turner.
Turner isn’t the only player who might be expendable as the Pacers face what might be an involuntary “gap year.” Obi Toppin had three games of 17 or more points during the Finals, but he’s also a backup big man who is on the books for $45M for the next three seasons, and may have hit his peak already at age 27.
Could the Pacers trade Toppin and give more minutes to 21-year-old Jarace Walker, the No. 8 pick from the 2023 draft? Toppin could be very appealing for a team with title aspirations next season and a hole in its frontcourt.
Other than Pascal Siakam (31) and T.J. McConnell (33), all the other key Pacers are 25 or younger, meaning they should still be in their primes when Haliburton is back. It’s frustrating to take a step back after coming so close to a championship, but the Pacers should seriously think about reloading for 2026-27 instead of running it back in 2025-26.
