Tyrese Haliburton has risen to the top of the point guard rankings in the 2025 Playoffs. This was a development that the Indiana Pacers’ front office expected when they made the trade in 2022.
After only one game of the 2025 NBA Finals, the Indiana Pacers have proven they belong. They beat the 68-win Oklahoma City Thunder on their home floor at Paycom Center. It is an impressive achievement, especially with Tyrese Haliburton making the game-winning shot.
He has been one of the most impressive players of the 2025 Playoffs, cementing himself as a top-tier point guard. OKC is still the favorite to win, but the Pacers’ gamble on Haliburton is paying off. They traded for him, sending Domantas Sabonis, who was an All-Star as well.
Most people deemed the trade with the Sacramento Kings as a win-win deal. Unfortunately, that is not the reality nowadays, as Haliburton has joined elite company with this run.
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesHaliburton is the perfect player to build Carlisle’s system around
When Rick Carlisle took over as the Pacers’ head coach, he needed a player to build around. They still had Sabonis at the time, but he wanted a point guard for the system. Thankfully, the Kings were willing to give up Haliburton, as they wanted an All-Star like Sabonis.
It was a good decision for the Pacers because they found the superstar they needed. Some people thought it was a win-win trade because the Kings made the Playoffs in 2023 as the third seed. That pales in comparison to the Pacers’ run to the 2025 NBA Finals.
OKC takes Hartenstein out of the game. Then Carlisle calls up a beauty.
Instead of Haliburton coming off a pin for the handoff – a common action for them, Haliburton sets a flare for Turner.
Turner nailed the 3 after some extra work.. pic.twitter.com/9lTMAaxOUQ
— Michael Jagacki (@Mike_Jagacki) June 7, 2025
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Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan was ecstatic when Haliburton was available. The former Iowa State Cyclone was the right player, and Haliburton has proven Buchanan right ever since the trade. He is a fantastic playmaker who steps up for the Pacers often.
“We didn’t really have a guy, like a young player, that you could really build around. Now, Domas was a terrific player and a very productive player,” Buchanan told Sam Amick of The Athletic.
“But we felt like in today’s modern NBA, it’s hard to build around a center unless you’ve got, like, a Jokic, an MVP-caliber center. So we tried to target some young guards, playmaking guards around the league that we thought maybe fit the bill.”
“Tyrese was one of the ideal targets to try to build that type of system around. That’s what coach Carlisle values, and has developed his philosophy (around) over the years, and where we’re at today. It was just a great fit from that standpoint.”
The Pacers are reaping the rewards from the fantastic trade
The Kings were happy for their 2023 postseason berth, but that does not hold a candle to Indiana’s success. It is a bitter pill to swallow for the Kings fans, but the Pacers made the right decision. Considering Sacramento committed to De’Aaron Fox, who left the team in 2025, it is a bad situation.
Haliburton could have been their franchise player if they stuck with him. Unfortunately, the Pacers have him as their star of the present and long-term future. He is a point guard who will fit any system, but Haliburton has one built around him in Indiana.
The rest of the Pacers’ roster loves having him on the team. He is their leader, who is always confident in himself and his teammates. That is a true leader, who the rest of the Pacers would want to keep playing alongside.
They have only one win in the NBA Finals, but Haliburton knows they did not play at their best. He knows Indiana still has untapped potential, which they will bank on ahead of Game 2. The series is still long, especially with this titanic Thunder team. However, Haliburton has proven himself as a big star.