THE TRADE:
Prior to the season, the expectation was that the Milwaukee Bucks would run away with the Eastern Conference. However, one team has emerged as a rival to the Giannis-Dame powerhouse. Said team is the Indiana Pacers, who knocked out Milwaukee in the In-Season Tournament. The Pacers were originally overlooked because we didn’t know what an offensive force Tyrese Haliburton would become.
Haliburton is in the mix of a massive breakout year, averaging 25.7 points and 12 assists per game. This is Haliburton’s third season in Indiana after they acquired him from the Sacramento Kings. The blockbuster deal sent Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson to Indiana in exchange for two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, and Justin Holiday. Upon his arrival in California, Domantas Sabonis immediately made an impact. Sabonis played a big role in the Kings’ overachievement in their breakout 2022-2023 season.
In retrospect, it is safe to say that this trade changed the landscape of the NBA. Now, in December of 2023, looking back, would either side like to undo the trade? Which team got the best of the other?
TYRESE HALIBURTON:
Tyrese Haliburton played college ball at Iowa State, before entering the NBA draft in 2020. Haliburton was initially expected to be one of the top picks in the draft, yet he slid out of the top 10. With the 12th pick, the Sacramento Kings finally took Haliburton off the board. The pick was a bit odd because Haliburton would be forced to split the backcourt with Sacramento’s rising star, De’Aaron Fox. The only explanation is that he was a top-5 talent still on the board at 12, and the Kings couldn’t help themselves.
Unsurprisingly, Haliburton had a minimal role during his rookie season, only attempting 10.7 field goals per game. However, I must note that he did get the most he could out of said opportunities. Over the first 51 games of the following season, Haliburton played a similar role. On February 8th, the Kings understood that they weren’t maximizing the talent and potential of the young guard and pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade with the Indiana Pacers.
Tyrese Haliburton finished the season with similar numbers before making a jump the next year. In his first full season with the Pacers, Haliburton’s field goal attempts per game rose from 11.8 to 15, and with that, his points per game increased from 15.3 to 20.7. However, Haliburton only played 56 games in the 2022-2023 season. Coming into this year, Haliburton looked to make another leap forward and also finally play a full season for the Pacers. So far, he’s accomplishing his first goal in a big way, seeing an increase of 5 points per game and 1.6 assists per game, now averaging a double-double. Haliburton and the Pacers are one of the most prolific offenses in the NBA and have put up two strong battles against the Milwaukee Bucks. Led by Haliburton, Indiana is a good team and will be a problem in the playoffs.
DOMANTAS SABONIS:
In the 2016 draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder used the 11th pick on a big man out of Gonzaga by the name of Domantas Sabonis. Sabonis can play both Center and Power Forward, as he has the ability to rebound, score in the paint, and create plays. After his rookie season, along with Victor Oladipo, Sabonis was sent to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for 8-time all-star, Paul George. Unlike Haliburton, Sabonis wasn’t traded because he was a bad fit, rather the Thunder believed that Paul George was more valuable.
The Thunder initially thought they had won the trade, as Domantas Sabonis was only an average center during his first two seasons in Indiana. However, when the Pacers moved Sabonis to power forward, things changed. Sabonis saw an increase of 4.4 in points per game in the 2019-2020 season. His breakout season led to his first all-star nomination, which was quickly followed by a second the next year. Entering the 2012-2022 season, the now consecutive all-star forward was making a name for himself as one of the top-scoring big men in the NBA. Sabonis continued playing well in the first 47 games of the season, before being shipped off to Sacramento.
Even though the Kings missed the playoffs in 2021-2022, they quickly got their money's worth in 2022-2023. Domantas Sabonis had one of his best seasons yet as he helped lead the Kings to a 48-win season. The Kings landed the 3 seed in the west but drew an unlucky hand as they were matched up with Steph Curry and the reigning champion Golden State Warriors. Led by Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox the Kings put up a noble fight, winning 3 games, before Steph Curry took over and ultimately sent the Kings packing in game 7.
So far, the Sacramento Kings are 15W-9L this season. Even though, unlike Indiana, they didn’t make a run in the In-Season Tournament, the Kings can make a run in the Western Conference playoffs. Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox are one of the best guard/forward duos in the West and should be tough to stop.
SHOULD THEY HAVE TAKEN IT BACK?:
Many around the league are claiming that even though Haliburton is a better player than Sabonis, the Kings shouldn’t regret the trade. However, in my opinion, that is an unfair angle to approach the scenario. The Kings could have only traded Buddy Hield plus some picks for Sabonis and created a super team. To be fair, there are a lot of different factors, and many different realities could’ve taken place. Yet, I like to ask myself what could have been had the Kings adjusted to Haliburton instead of getting rid of him, and how that could’ve changed the landscape of the NBA.
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