Every year, fans are left replaying a handful of moments, wondering how different things might have looked had one play gone the other way. And no one was left asking that question more than the Indiana Pacers in 2025. The Pacers were on top, believing they could do the unthinkable, all thanks to their superstar, Tyrese Haliburton. Then, in a single moment, everything was put on the back burner. While that moment changed the trajectory of the whole franchise, they were not the only team to face some consequences. So let’s look back at some of the biggest What-Ifs of 2025 in the NBA.

What if Tyrese Haliburton hadn’t gotten injured?

Throughout the playoffs, whenever the Indiana Pacers needed to get out of a jam, Tyrese Haliburton answered. Against Milwaukee in the first round, he scored with 1.4 seconds remaining in Game 5 as the Pacers won 119-118 to seal the series. Then, in the Semis against the No. 1-seeded Cleveland, his game-winner with 1.1 seconds left in Game 2 helped the Pacers take a 2-0 lead back to Indiana. And who can forget his game-tying jumper against the Knicks at the buzzer, a game which Indy eventually won? He did the same in Game 1 of the Finals against OKC as well, helping the Pacers steal a win on the road.

After a back-and-forth series, it all came down to Game 7. Despite not being fully fit, Hali started that game on a heater. He had drained 3 of his 4 three-pointers in the space of 90 seconds in the first quarter. However, with 4:55 left, he suffered what was confirmed the following day to be a torn right Achilles tendon. Even after losing Hali, the Pacers managed to lead 48-47 at halftime. What if Hali hadn’t gotten injured?

He was having a great series. Apart from his Game 1 heroics, he nearly had a triple-double with 22 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds as they beat the Thunder 116-107 in Game 3. Despite a strained calf in Game 5, he suited up in Game 6 and played through that injury, scoring 14 points and forcing Game 7. Even the Pacers executive believed that they would have won if their All-Star had not been injured.

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“In my mind, no one can tell me that we weren’t going to win a championship if Ty stays healthy,” Kevin Pritchard said. “You know, that’s biased.” That Achilles tendon injury not only ended the team’s championship hopes but also turned the 2025-26 season chaotic. 10-year veteran Myles Turner switched teams and accepted a better four-year, $107 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.

He suggested that after Haliburton’s injury, the Pacers had less reason to go deep into the luxury tax, which they would have had to do to sign him. Without Hali and Turner, Indiana is slipping as the entire pressure is on Pascal Siakam. He leads the Pacers in points scored, rebounds, and steals, and is third in assists. But it’s not enough, as they only have 6 wins so far. In fact, they began the season with a 1-8 record.

What if Kevin Durant hadn’t been traded to the Rockets?

The Rockets have been connected to Durant going back to last summer. But the team was patient in wanting to see how their young core panned out first. The Suns and the Rockets discussed a deal at the February trade deadline, but it was never certain. When Houston finished the regular season with the second-best record and fell in the first round to the Warriors, something had to change. So they bet on a future Hall of Famer, Kevin Durant.

Phoenix received Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and the No. 10 overall pick. They were frustrated with how their Big 3 of Devin Booker, KD, and Bradley Beal didn’t pan out. However, looking back at it now, the Rockets don’t seem to be in a much better place. Currently, they are #6 with an 18-10 record in the West, and at #7 are the Suns (16-13). No doubt, Phoenix has exceeded expectations at this point in the season. Meanwhile, Houston’s struggles might be due to Durant not being fully integrated into their system yet.

Till now, they have been relying on young superstars to bail them out of a tough situation. In the overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets, Durant took just three shots in the fourth quarter. He even missed two of them as Alperen Sengun took seven shots and missed just two. Even in OT, KD had just one shot, which he missed. So, what should have been an easy upgrade for the Rockets, they are still trying to find the balance.

Meanwhile, other teams could have snapped the Slim Reaper. The Warriors were eager to add Durant to maximize Stephen Curry’s championship window. But due to past issues, that move never materialized. Similarly, even the Mavericks were interested and wanted to add the 37-year-old.

According to NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, “In just talking to people across the league, I got the sense, and I started reporting it around February, March, that had Kyrie Irving not injured his knee, torn his ACL, we might be having another conversation about Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving as members of the Dallas Mavericks.”

We could have seen another Durant and Irving partnership, as they were previously teammates on the Brooklyn Nets. Not to forget, KD also played alongside one half of the Splash Brothers, Klay Thompson, during their championship run with the Golden State Warriors.

What if the Mark Williams trade to the Lakers didn’t get rescinded?

After the Los Angeles Lakers traded for Luka Doncic, they were short on defense everywhere, but especially at the rim. The first solution was to trade Dalton Knecht for Mark Williams. However, that was rescinded over concerns about the center’s health. Soon, questions were raised as Williams played the majority of the remaining games for Charlotte and had solid performances.

The Lakers would’ve gained a young, impactful starting center, potentially solving their big-man needs around Luka Doncic and LeBron James, boosting their defense. But in the off-season, they signed Deandre Ayton. If they had signed Williams, Ayton most likely wouldn’t have been part of the Lakers. And Williams has surely reminded the Purple and Gold franchise of what they missed out on.

The Suns and the Lakers have faced each other three times this season, and Phoenix leads 2-1. Luckily, fans got to see both these centers in action. In the first game, the Suns and Mark Williams came out as victors. He posted 13 points, six rebounds, and a solo block, while Deandre Ayton had 12 points and nine rebounds in a 125-108 loss for the Lakers.

In the next game, Ayton got his revenge over his former team and recorded 20 points along with 13 rebounds. But Mark Williams matched it with 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 critical blocks. Two of them were in the third quarter, once when he blocked LeBron James’s 1-foot layup, as the Lakers were trailing by three, 64-67. And just a few minutes later, he did the same as he blocked Luka Doncic’s two-point shot.

In their next matchup, Williams and the Suns won their battle. In the blowout 132-108 win, Mark had 18 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks. Ayton, on the other hand, had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

While Ayton has performed well for the Lakers, Williams would have given them exactly what they needed, and the Lakers could have focused on other positions in free agency.