“This is some form of malpractice”- When JJ Redick blasted Sacramento Kings for trading Tyrese Haliburton to Indiana Pacers originally appeared on Basketball Network.

It usually takes time to see who wins an NBA trade. However, JJ Redick saw the obvious winner the moment the Sacramento Kings dealt Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers in a six-player transaction that included Domantas Sabonis.

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“This is some form of malpractice on the Kings’ part,” Redick said on NBA Today in 2022. “Listen, Tyrese Haliburton has been the best player on that team… I can co-sign what Woj said. He’s determined to turn things around and be part of the rebuild in Sacramento… They traded away their best player; they also traded the most prolific three-point shooters in recent NBA history in Buddy Hield.”

Questionable fit

It’s normal for an analyst to criticize a trade. Still, the most surprising thing JJ did was declare Haliburton the Kings’ “best player,” even though they had De’Aaron Fox on the roster, who had averaged over 20 points for three consecutive years.

After all, Haliburton had already demonstrated top-notch playmaking skills, secondary scoring ability and elite shooting at such an early stage of his NBA career.

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Another big issue for Redick was Sabonis’ questionable fit with the Kings‘ roster. By then, he was already a two-time All-Star and averaged 19/12/5 for Indiana before the deal transpired.

“De’Aaron Fox can’t shoot, Sabonis can’t shoot, so you’re building around two non-shooters with a bunch of non-shooters. Make it make sense,” added the now-Los Angeles Lakers head coach.

For a while, it looked like Redick’s take did not age well. The Pacers missed the 2022-23 postseason, while the Kings made the playoffs as a third-seed, ending a 16-year playoff drought. Even though Sacramento lost a tight seven-game series to the Golden State Warriors, they showed a lot of promise with the Sabonis/Fox pairing.

Fast forward two seasons and Fox is no longer in Sacramento. Meanwhile, Haliburton is seizing the spotlight in the 2025 NBA Finals.

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Related: “Dad, you at 17, me at 17, who was better? I said, ‘Listen, son…'” – Dominique Wilkins on the moment he realized his son didn’t know how great of a player he was

Behind the scenes

A recent report by Sam Amick of The Athletic (H/T: Sports Illustrated) suggests that the Kings initially wanted to keep Haliburton, not Fox. However, the Pacers made it clear they wanted no part of the Kentucky alum and that the only way for them to let Sabonis go was to include Hali in the deal.

This report could just be the Sacramento management trying to save their image, but it’s also viable for two reasons: First, they had no problem trading De’Aaron away for less to the San Antonio Spurs. Second, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was already a big fan of “Rese” before the trade.

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“It’s an exciting trade, and it changes the landscape significantly,” said the Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, per ESPN. “(Haliburton) is an elite young point guard that affects the game positively in many, many ways. We’re getting three players who are good now, and in the case of Tyrese, he has a chance to continue to grow. … Finding a franchise-caliber point guard at age 21 is extremely difficult to do.”

The California-based franchise thought they were redefining their future, but they may have misjudged who their future was. Redick’s warning was an early read on a turn few saw coming. In a league where timelines change fast, one deal can quietly change everything — or, in Haliburton’s case, make plenty of noise.

Related: Dwyane Wade shares why Rick Carlisle should get more recognition for the Pacers’ success: “I give a lot of credit to the leader over there”

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.