The Indiana Pacers were just a win away from their first-ever NBA Championship right before tragedy struck. We all remember that Tyrese Haliburton’s first-half injury changed the entire trajectory of the Pacers’ season. After hitting three 3-pointers from deep, as Haliburton made a move to start a drive, his Achilles gave out, and he crashed to the floor in agony. That not only ended Indiana’s title hopes, but it also made everyone worry about the worst possible news.

However, despite already assuming the worst, it still hurt when Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard shared the news in the report on Monday. “I have no doubt that he will be back better than ever… He will not play next year, though. We would not jeopardize that now,” Pritchard said. The Pacers executive confirmed that Indiana’s superstar point guard won’t be playing in the upcoming season. There couldn’t have been a more brutal end to the young guard’s season.

Haliburton was phenomenal in the postseason, and his playoff numbers speak for themselves. The Indiana point guard averaged 17.3 points, along with 8.6 assists and 5.3 rebounds. Although he couldn’t finish what he started last season, Haliburton will now be focusing on making a strong comeback. The 25-year-old superstar has already undergone surgery to repair his torn Achilles tendon and is in rehab. So, if he pushed hard enough, Haliburton could be available for the last few weeks of the season.

However, Kevin Pritchard and the Pacers would rather have their star point guard, who led them to their first NBA Finals in decades, fully healthy, than risk him being injured again. Indiana is right to take the pressure off for next season and keep the long-term approach in mind. However, apart from Tyrese Haliburton’s injury update, Kevin Pritchard also revealed the truth about Myles Turner’s unexpected move to the Milwaukee Bucks in the free agency.

One of the most shocking moves during this season’s free agency came when Indiana Pacers’ big man Myles Turner, out of nowhere, joined the Milwaukee Bucks. For most of the season and the initial days of the offseason, everyone thought that Turner would return to Indiana for an 11th season. And, why not when the 29-year-old played a huge role in the team’s run to the finals? However, everyone was left stunned when the Bucks announced they had acquired the center.

For the longest now, people thought that Turner wasn’t given the contract he would’ve hoped for after a stellar season. However, it seems that wasn’t the case. Indiana’s president of basketball operations revealed that the franchise was more than willing to meet Turner’s demands. “I know this, that Herb Simon and Stephen Rails and the Simon family were fully prepared to go deep into the tax to keep him. And we really wanted to do that.” Pritchard said. 

However, he stated that being in the free agency meant that Turner could hear offers from anywhere, and Milwaukee came up with a good offer for the 29-year-old. He explained that he was free to say yes, but the only problem was that Turner’s agent never gave Indiana a chance to counter Milwaukee’s offer before he accepted the deal. Nonetheless, it seems like the Pacers did what they could to keep their core intact, but it wasn’t meant to be, as they now look to bolster their ranks over the summer.