Man, where do I even start with this whole Pacers situation? So Tyrese Haliburton’s out next season and the team’s all like, "Uh-oh, luxury tax!" So, what do they do? They try to snag Myles Turner with this low-balled offer. Like, what? Were they expecting him to stick around just for the love of the game? Spoiler alert: Didn’t happen.
Meanwhile, in a move nobody saw coming—least of all me—the Bucks just casually drop Damian Lillard. Yes, that Damian Lillard, just to make room for Turner with a fat $108.9 million deal. Now that’s some corporate-level chess playing. You gotta hand it to them; the NBA’s full of surprises, right?
Now, Haliburton—he’s not salty about Turner leaving, he says. I caught him on the Pat McAfee show, chatting for the first time since his injury. And in this weirdly mature way, he’s all business about it. Said something like, "Myles has been the face of our team for like a decade. But hey, he’s gotta look after numero uno, you know?" Honestly, it’s refreshing. NBA players know they’re in a hustle—a race against time to cash in while they can. Friends on the court or not, they get it.
Oh, and speaking of Haliburton, did you catch his ESPN interview? He blames plain old unlucky stars for all these Achilles issues plaguing the league. Like, maybe we play too many games or whatever, but he doesn’t think that’s why this stuff happens. I guess there’s no magic fix; sometimes it’s just par for the course. "Bad luck," he said. Makes you think.
And if you’re wondering about the Pacers’ next move, GM Chad Buchanan spilled some beans on the Setting The Pace podcast. They’re getting this $14.1 million disabled player exception for Haliburton. Interesting, huh? It doesn’t open a new roster spot but helps with some wiggle room. They’ve got 13 players locked in for next season, but who knows? Maybe they’ll add some point guard depth. I mean, it’s all about the strategy now.
This NBA off-season? It’s like a soap opera. And I can’t look away.
