Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton Named Offseason Trade Target For East Powerhouse

The Indiana Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago after surprising many around the NBA. Indiana used a collection of strong depth and scoring to overpower teams, reaching the final four of the league.

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The team has continued to find success this season and they are expected to be contenders in the postseason once again. But if the Pacers were to flounder out of the playoffs or fall short of their goals again, it could have the front office thinking about potential big changes.

One of those changes could be with star point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton just signed a new contract with the Pacers but if he were to struggle in the playoffs, maybe the team would consider moving him.

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report listed Haliburton as a possible trade target for the Brooklyn Nets this summer. Even with the small likelihood of this happening, nothing in the NBA is out of the realm of possibility.

"Haliburton seems less likely, but if he and the Pacers both fizzle out of the playoffs, perhaps they rethink their supermax commitment to him."

While Indiana does love Haliburton, the team may decide that they have reached their ceiling with the guard as their main option. Many see the Pacers in a tier below the other elite teams in the East and another postseason exit could solidify that thought.

Haliburton has struggled with consistency this season and the Pacers have suffered in different games due to it. For the year, the guard has averaged 18.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.

All of his numbers have dropped this season except for the steals which have just slightly ticked up. There have been a few games where Haliburton completely disappears and it has cost Indiana.

His contract numbers are huge and with that comes high expectations. All the pressure will be on Haliburton to succeed come playoff time this season.

For this team to reach its goal of winning a title, Haliburton will need to be the best version of himself. If he isn't, the Pacers may have to have some tough conversations about him leading the franchise forward.

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