Monday was a nightmare for Indiana Pacers fans. The team announced that star guard Tyrese Haliburton — who helped lead the team to the NBA Finals last season — will miss the 2025-26 season while recovering from an Achilles tear he suffered in the Finals.
In spite of the bad news, Pacers president Kevin Pritchard did provide some optimism as well.
‘The surgery went well. It was a little higher and he gets more blood to that [as he recovers],’ said Pritchard. That said, Pritchard also added, ‘He will not play next year though. We would not jeopardize that now. So don’t get any hopes up that he will play.’
When did Tyrese Haliburton get hurt?
Haliburton suffered the injury during Game 7 of the NBA Finals. He scored nine points on three three-pointers before exiting the game.
Haliburton had previously suffered a calf strain in Game 5 of the series, and decided to play on it in an effort to give the Pacers their first NBA championship.
Why did Tyrese Haliburton play injured?
Despite the risk, Haliburton thought playing for a championship was worth the risk. Following the injury, Haliburton posted on social media that he didn’t regret playing. He said that he would ‘do it again, and again after that, to fight for this city and my brothers.’
Pritchard told reporters Monday that he would have sacrificed that game if he knew Haliburton was going to get hurt. ‘If you’re asking me, would I have him do it over and over? I would not. I would not,’ said Pritchard. ‘I care for the kid so much and want him to have an incredible career.’
Pritchard also added that he admires Haliburton’s mentality.
Pacers’ 2026 championship odds
Without Haliburton, the Pacers’ odds of winning next year’s championship will take a massive hit. The team also lost forward Myles Turner to the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason as well.
Per BetMGM, the Pacers currently have +8000 odds to win the 2026 championship. That ranks 18th in the league, just behind Myles Turner’s new team, Milwaukee (+6600).