The Indiana Pacers have a Tyrese Haliburton problem to solve, and they may have to get creative while he sits out the next two weeks with a hamstring injury.
Haliburton’s absence leaves a major hole in Indiana’s attack. Since returning this season, he has averaged 21.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 9.5 assists while shooting 52 percent from the field and logging 33 minutes per game. With hamstring injuries already a familiar issue for him, the Pacers are expected to take a careful approach as he works his way back.
That opens the door for Indiana to look beyond its current roster. If the team wants to ease the pressure on Haliburton’s return and survive the short-term stretch without him, there are a few names that make sense.
Bruce Brown is one possibility. Indiana knows him well, since he spent time with the Pacers a few seasons ago, and he remains a free agent.
Brown’s last season with the Denver Nuggets produced 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, along with a 47.5 percent mark from the floor. He could give the Pacers another wing and some help in the playmaking department.
Seth Curry is another option. The 36-year-old spent the 2025-26 NBA season with the Golden State Warriors and last season averaged 7.1 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists while shooting 49.0 percent.
His appeal is straightforward: shooting. Indiana could use the spacing and depth he would bring, especially while Haliburton is sidelined.
Kevin Porter Jr. rounds out the list. He was recently released by the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Pacers could view him as a backcourt addition with upside.
Porter averaged 17.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists last season for Milwaukee, shooting 46.5 percent from the field. For Indiana, that kind of move would come with little risk and the chance for a bigger payoff if he fits.
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Pacers Got Caught In A Viral Julius Randle Moment
The Pacers were on the wrong end of Brooklyns first win of the season, and the game carried a little extra edge when Julius Randle got tangled up in a rare on-court confrontation after a hard foul. The moment quickly traveled beyond the box score once a hot mic picked up Randle firing back with a warning, turning a routine regular-season game into one of those clips that keeps circulating long after the final buzzer.
Randle still finished the night with 20 points, five rebounds and six assists, a reminder that the flashpoint did not really slow him down. His postgame attention also shifted toward what comes next, with a matchup against his former team, the New York Knicks, looming on the schedule and adding another layer to a week that already had plenty of conversation around it. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Injury-Riddled Matchup Just Got Another Twist From Brooklyn
The injury list around this Pacers-Nets matchup keeps growing, and Brooklyn added another wrinkle by ruling out rookie point guard Mikel Brown Jr. for the game against Indiana. Brown is being held out because of back injury management and minutes restrictions, a decision that fits the cautious approach the Nets have taken with a roster already thinned by absences.
Brooklyn will also be without Egor Demin and Ben Saraf, which could push veteran Terance Mann into a larger role when the game tips. Indiana, meanwhile, is dealing with its own hit to availability, with Tyrese Haliburton and Ivica Zubac among the players sidelined, leaving both teams to sort through rotations under less-than-ideal circumstances. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Let A Shorthanded Nets Team Expose A Bigger Problem
The Pacers had a chance to take care of business against a shorthanded Brooklyn group, but instead they walked away with a 98-90 loss that exposed how much room there still is to clean things up. Brooklyn was missing Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr., yet the Nets still found enough offense to steady themselves after a slow start, with Nolan Traore setting the tone with 14 points and six assists.
Traores second-half push helped Brooklyn seize control, and he got plenty of support from Michael Porter Jr., Julius Randle and Day'Ron Sharpe, who finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds. For Indiana, the result was less about one bad stretch than a reminder that even a depleted opponent can turn a game if the Pacers dont match the energy and execution required to close it out. [Read more 🡒]