Tyrese Haliburton has now made it pretty clear: LeBron James to Indiana was a fun idea, not a real one.
The Pacers star point guard said he did reach out to James and ask him to join the team, but the response he got back told the whole story. Haliburton, speaking Monday on the "Pat McAfee Show," said, "[LeBron James] being my teammate isn't looking good...
I texted him... 'Hey, you should come be a Pacer'...
He responded with 6 laughing crying [emojis]."
That lines up with what Haliburton already hinted at after hosting a live event with James at Fanatics Fest, where he admitted he tried to recruit "The King" and came away empty-handed. The buzz around a possible Pacers run at James had flared up last week after an article suggested Indiana could sign him, but that excitement faded fast.
And really, it was always a long shot.
James would have been a massive basketball fit in Indiana. Pairing him with Haliburton, Pascal Siakam.
Andrew Nembhard, and Ivica Zubac would have turned the Pacers into an NBA Finals favorite, at least on paper. Even without that dream scenario, though, Indiana still has plenty to like about its current group.
Haliburton made sure to push that message, too, telling fans not to get too hung up on the James fantasy and to trust the roster already in place.
The bigger picture for Indiana is still encouraging. Just two years ago, the Pacers took the Oklahoma City Thunder to Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Now, with Haliburton back at full health, a center upgrade from Myles Turner to Zubac, and the free agency addition of Kelly Oubre, the Pacers believe they have enough to be a tough out.
In Other News...
Pacers Two-Way Battle Just Claimed Its First Summer League Casualty
The Pacers two-way competition has already started to trim down, with the first summer casualty coming before the rest of the roster battle has really settled in. Indiana entered the offseason with three two-way spots to sort through, and the mix of young guards and developmental bigs had given the front office a handful of different directions to consider after Summer League.
Now the pool is down to Braden Smith, Kobe Brown, Jalen Slawson and Ethan Thompson, with the waiver move narrowing the path even further. Smith remains the most obvious name to watch after being selected 38th overall, while Slawsons Summer League showing kept him in the conversation, but the Pacers still have at least one more decision to make before the two-way picture is complete. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers May Be One Late Move From Changing Everything
An injury-ravaged season has left the Pacers staring at the same problem from two angles: they need more depth, and they need a higher ceiling. The front office has already seen how quickly a roster can change when the right deal comes together, and the late-offseason market can sometimes be the best time to make a swing once the options elsewhere have thinned out.
Indiana also has a few paths to get there if it decides a bigger move is worth the cost. Obi Toppin, T.J. McConnell and Jarace Walker all sit in the kind of salary range that can help shape a trade package, and the question now is whether the Pacers want to use that flexibility to patch holes or to chase a more dramatic upgrade before next season arrives. [Read more 🡒]
National NBA Ranking Finally Gives Pacers Fans A Reason To Feel Seen
For a fan base that spent much of last season watching injuries chip away at the Pacers momentum, a fresh national ranking offered a welcome change of tone. CBS Sports analyst Brad Botkin slotted Indiana fourth overall and second in the Eastern Conference in his early power rankings, a notable show of confidence in a roster built around Tyrese Haliburton and a group that still has room to grow once healthier bodies return and the new additions settle in.
The optimism comes with the usual early-season caveat, of course, because Indiana still has to prove that the pieces fit the way the ranking suggests. Botkins read leans heavily on Haliburtons ability to drive winning at the highest level, while the frontcourt picture is changing enough to make the Pacers spacing and overall identity worth watching closely once the season gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]