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New Report Reveals How Close Pacers Were to Not Getting Tyrese Haliburton in 2022

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated Jun 8, 2025 2:43 PM ET

The Sacramento Kings traded Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 8, 2022. Since then, the Kings have made the playoffs once, losing in the first round of the 2023 postseason to the Golden State Warriors in seven games.

Meanwhile, Haliburton has made the playoffs twice with the Pacers. He led them to the conference finals last year and has the team in the NBA Finals this year.

The Kings had Haliburton and De'Aaron Fox on the roster at the same time. Since Fox and Haliburton are both point guards, it made sense for Sacramento to trade one of the players.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Kings almost traded Fox instead of Haliburton in 2022, meaning the Pacers were close to never getting their star.

“But by the time 2022 came, when then-general manager Monte McNair and assistant general manager Wes Wilcox (both of the Kings) were looking for ways to turn their middling team into a playoff contender, Fox’s market value had plummeted to the point where Haliburton became the focal point of their rebuilding efforts," Amick wrote.

"League sources say the Kings explored trades involving Fox, who had recently signed a five-year, $160 million deal, but simply didn’t find a suitable return."

The Kings wound up trading Fox to the San Antonio Spurs this season. It's been a tough few years for Sacramento, which could have drafted Luka Doncic in 2018 but took Marvin Bagley III instead.

The Pacers won Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder thanks to a game-winning jumper by Haliburton with 0.3 seconds left in regulation.

Haliburton is three wins away from becoming an NBA champion, while the Kings are coming off back-to-back playoff-less seasons.

Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder is set for 8 p.m. ET Sunday on ABC.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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