In April, Tyrese Haliburton’s father, John, made headlines for all the wrong reasons as he got into a heated altercation with Giannis Antetokounmpo. After his son hit a game winner on The Greek Freak to send the Bucks packing in the first round, John stepped onto the court in excitement and seemingly began taunting the two-time MVP by waving a towel and yelling, “This is what we f—— do! This is what we do!”

Obviously, Giannis felt disrespected and confronted Tyrese’s dad. Surrounded by media and team staff, the two butted heads and exchanged some words before going their separate ways. A frustrated Giannis even addressed John’s antics during the postgame presser, “I’m happy that he’s happy for his son… But coming to me and disrespecting me and cursing at me, I think it’s totally unacceptable.” John’s actions led to severe consequences as he got banned from attending Pacers’ games. The ban was eventually lifted during the Conference Finals. Clearly, Giannis and John did not get off on the right foot. But their relationship could take a drastic turn if Pacers pull off an unexpected move this summer.

While the Pacers are busy with the ongoing NBA Finals, their front office has already begun thinking about the future. Earlier this week, they traded their number 23 pick and rights to Mojave King to the Pelicans. In exchange, they got back the 2026 first-round pick that originally belonged to them and they lost last year in the Pascal Siakam trade. This move suggests that Pacers could be eyeing a bigger fish this summer. And media veteran Esfandiar Baraheni believes Giannis could be one of the superstars on their radar, “I’ve toyed around with the idea of them going out for Giannis, even though there was the whole John Haliburton and Giannis situation that happened earlier in the playoffs. He would still be a great fit in what they do.”

The trade proposal amused Kevin O’Connor because of Giannis and John’s controversial history, and he began wondering how Tyrese’s dad would react if the Pacers pull off this deal. “What a great story that would be. John Haliburton holding a Giannis towel.” The analyst remarked, anticipating the shocking aftermath.

A realistic trade package for Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Indiana Pacers, could see the Bucks receiving Pascal Siakam ($45.6M, UFA 2028), Bennedict Mathurin ($7.2M), Ben Sheppard ($2.8M), Indiana’s 2026 and 2028 unprotected first-round picks, and a 2030 pick swap, with Milwaukee potentially negotiating to regain their 2026 or 2027 pick rights via a third party like New Orleans, while the Pacers get Giannis ($54.1M) and Pat Connaughton ($9.4M) to pair a generational talent with Tyrese Haliburton for a title push; this deal works as it gives Milwaukee young talent and draft capital for a rebuild while Indiana upgrades without gutting their Finals-contending core.

Although the idea seems far-fetched right now, Pacers and Giannis’ union makes perfect sense. Well, The Greek Freak has been in trade rumors since his third straight first round exit. Speculations are that he could leave the Bucks to join a championship contender. Who better than the team that’s gearing up to play Game 7 of the NBA Finals? Meanwhile, Pacers have felt the need of a consistent scorer throughout these playoffs. While Siakam and Hali have been solid, a player like Giannis would take them to a whole new level. So, John might not mind Giannis moving to Indiana if it helps his son win a championship, especially when he has already buried the hatchet with the two-time MVP.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and John Haliburton are “in a good place” despite viral clash

While things got heated between Giannis and John in the moment, they eventually patched things up once they got their emotions in check. Tyrese’s dad even issued a public apology to the Bucks star, “I sincerely apologize to Giannis, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Pacers organization for my actions following tonight’s game. This was not a good reflection on our sport or my son and I will not make that mistake again.”

He further clarified in an interview that he had no intention of disrespecting the former champ, “When I turned, it might have seemed like I was looking at him. But I really wasn’t. I was looking through him. That’s how I was in the moment… He grabbed my hand. He put his forehead on my forehead and he said ‘Don’t disrespect me. Don’t effing disrespect me. Okay?’ And I said to him ‘I was not trying to disrespect you.’ Which I wasn’t. I’m telling you I did not do that on purpose.”

Even Giannis later admitted that he and John are “in a good place” and they also exchanged an “I love you” after their heated clash. It’s clear that they have buried the hatchet, which makes the Pacers’ pursuit of The Greek Freak an even bigger possibility. What do you think?