Returning NBA superstar Tyrese Haliburton is doing more media appearances ahead of his big return for the Indiana Pacers this season. One noteworthy story shared by Haliburton saw him learning the business side of the NBA by having the Sacramento Kings flat out lying to him. Haliburton revealed that Kings management told him he should consider buying a house there as the sign of his long-term status with the team.
However, the story ends with Sacramento trading Haliburton before he could even buy the home. Haliburton shared the following details on the Numbers on the Board podcast:
“They were telling me after my rookie year ‘Hey man you’re going to be here for awhile, you should look into buying a house’, I was like ‘I’m good, I’m good, I don’t got to worry about nothin’.”
The Pacers ended up changing their franchise forever by trading Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento in exchange for Haliburton. Both Indiana and Haliburton found what they were looking for as he quickly evolved into the face of the franchise. The Kings may have lied to Haliburton, but this led to a new setting where he’s reached two conference finals and made one NBA Finals as the top superstar.
Why Kings Changed Mind To Trade Haliburton
Sacramento telling Haliburton to buy a house centered around the belief in him being a key part of the future. Despite having point guard De’Aaron Fox already on the roster, the Kings believed in developing a roster around both guards thriving together.
This plan changed at some point when Sacramento believed they had to choose one and trade the other to improve at other positions. A new core centered around Fox, Sabonis, and young prospect Keegan Murray did see them having one strong season as the third seed to show why they dealt Haliburton.
Unfortunately, that was a one season wonder that saw the Kings never having the same success again. Fox got traded to the San Antonio Spurs to lose both point guards and make them look worse for losing Haliburton. A bad decision led to the franchise suffering to the point of rebuilding.
Tyrese Haliburton Took The Kings Disrespect Personally
The story of the trade took another weird turn when the Kings General Manager wanted to visit Haliburton’s house. A shocking phone call about the trade ended with Haliburton choosing to decline meeting any Sacramento front office employees trying to make peace with him.
Some anger was there over being told to buy a home and expecting to spend at least five years there as a foundation piece. Indiana took advantage of this situation and pulled off another huge move to trade for Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors.
Fans view the Pacers as a contender for the foreseeable future now behind these two stars. Haliburton got injured in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and many felt they’ve have won the title if he stayed healthy. The Kings’ mistake led to the Pacers having their best run since the Reggie Miller years.
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