Tyrese Haliburton Rumors

Central Notes: Bucks, Giannis, Haliburton, Cavs

November 6th, 2024 at 10:48am CST by Luke Adams

Since 1970, a total of 150 teams have began a season with a 1-6 record (or worse). Only 12 of those 150 teams have made the playoffs, and five did so despite finishing with a losing record, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

The Bucks are one of two NBA teams who currently own a 1-6 mark this fall, but head coach Doc Rivers – informed of that statistic about the league’s slow starters over the past five-plus decades – expressed confidence that his team will become the 13th in that group to reach the postseason.

“We will make the playoffs,” Rivers said after Monday’s loss to Cleveland, per Nehm. “I’m not worried about that.”

Rivers said his team remains optimistic about its outlook despite the disappointing start, and pointed out that the numbers currently working against the Bucks would look much different once the team breaks out if its slump and wins a few games.

“The team’s very positive. I think they’re upbeat,” Rivers said. “No one wants to lose. We have some tough games coming up, but one win at a time. We win three or four in a row and then the numbers say if you’re 5-6 after that, you have an 80 percent chance to make the playoffs, you know? So that’s where numbers are so silly sometimes, especially early in the year. And we don’t pay much attention to them.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo went through the team’s morning shootaround on Monday before Milwaukee decided to give him a night off due to a right adductor strain, writes Tom Withers of The Associated Press. Although the club’s injury report for Thursday’s game vs. Utah is not yet out, it sounds like Antetokounmpo is considered day-to-day and that the Bucks don’t view the injury as something that will sideline him for long.
Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports suggested on The Kevin O’Connor Show (Twitter video link) that Tyrese Haliburton‘s early-season struggles may be linked to a back issue that affected the Pacers guard near the end of last season. “I’ve had some sources around the league tell me that they believe it’s not his hamstring that’s the cause of his struggles this year, it’s his back,” O’Connor said. “He had back spasms in the postseason. He’s still wearing a heating pack on the bench. And I think that would make sense, with the trends and the way in which he’s playing, the declining efficiency. Because back issues are tough to deal with.” Haliburton is shooting just 38.2% from the floor, including 24.1% on three-pointers, through seven games.
The Cavaliers‘ impressive 8-0 start is a byproduct of selflessness, sacrifice, and camaraderie, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required), who notes that the team is on board with new head coach Kenny Atkinson‘s philosophies. “I feel like everybody’s buying into the system, even though it’s different,” center Jarrett Allen said. “Props to Kenny. He’s done an excellent job finding out a way to mesh this team together and just try to bring the best out of everybody. It’s not just one person leading the charge. Everybody’s contributing in a different way at different times.”

Central Notes: Bulls, Vucevic, Haliburton, Lillard

October 28th, 2024 at 8:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Coach Billy Donovan believes the offseason addition of Josh Giddey and the return of Lonzo Ball provide the Bulls with the weapons to play at a much faster pace, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. The biggest problem with that strategy in the early season is the team can’t hold on to the ball.

Chicago had 26 turnovers in Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma City after losing the ball 21 times in the season opener at New Orleans. They did much better in their only victory, limiting turnovers to 10 while beating Milwaukee.

“We’ve got to bring them way back down,” Giddey said. “Guys’ hearts are in the right place. We’re trying to play the right way, the way we want to play. … The way we want to play, up and down, there’s going to be turnovers. But it just cannot be as many as (we’ve had).”

The biggest culprit so far has been Zach LaVine, who seems to have rediscovered his scoring touch but is struggling to protect the ball. Against OKC, he committed seven turnovers for the second time this season.

“I’ve got to take responsibility for that,” he said. “That’s two games I’ve had seven, and (against the Thunder) was just unforced. It’s not like they did anything.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

A new emphasis on the pick-and-pop has seemed to unlock Nikola Vucevic‘s outside shot, observes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. After shooting a career-low 29.4% from three-point range last season, the Bulls center is 7-of-13 from beyond the arc through three games.
Tyrese Haliburton admitted that he doesn’t feel like himself after the Pacers‘ loss to Philadelphia on Sunday, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. The All-Star guard is shooting 31.8% from the floor and 20% from three-point range, and he’s averaging just 3.7 assists per game after leading the NBA in that category last season. “We’re working through things,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “We want to play faster with more aggression, more speed, urgency. So far, we’ve had some challenges and we have to continue to work through them.”
Appearing on the Knuckleheads podcast (video link), Bucks guard Damian Lillard said he and Giannis Antetokounmpo need to be able to communicate openly on the court to reach a championship level. “Me and him got to be able to hold each other accountable, and that don’t mean yelling at each other all the time,” Lillard explained. “It just means, like, I got to be able to say something to you, and you got to be able to say something to me at all times.”

Central Notes: Giddey, Caruso, Trent, Middleton, Haliburton

October 26th, 2024 at 9:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls don’t have any buyer’s remorse about parting with Alex Caruso to acquire Josh Giddey from Oklahoma City, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago was criticized for not getting any draft compensation in the deal, but executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas explained that they valued Giddey highly enough to accept the trade without draft picks. Even though it’s early in Giddey’s Bulls tenure, his teammates seem to agree.

“I think the play-making is huge and a thing that is going to help us a lot,” Nikola Vucevic said. “He makes passes that not many people can see, and I think his size is something that people underestimate a little bit. For him it’s the same as it is for us, just getting used to playing next to each other. As a team we need to build that chemistry, but I think he’s a player that can help us a lot, especially with his vision. We want to play fast, and I think that’s his style as well.”

The Thunder were in Chicago tonight, creating a perfect opportunity to reflect on the deal. As one of the NBA’s best defensive guards, Caruso was a valuable part of the Bulls’ rotation for the past three seasons, so reporters asked coach Billy Donovan how he reacted when he learned about the trade.

“That’s hard, it’s hard, especially when you’ve been with him for three years and the relationship we built,” Donovan said. “The one thing for Alex in all this for me is I just hope that he’s really, really going to get compensated. He obviously got a great situation, but he’s also at the point where his age, some of the things he’s had to deal with health-wise too. He’s always played banged up and hurt. They came to me and thought this was best for a variety of reasons. I believe this is Alex’s last year of his contract, but they didn’t share with me the representation conversations.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

The Bucks were impressed by Gary Trent Jr.‘s defensive effort in his debut with the team, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Trent was used as the primary defender on Tyrese Maxey, who had to carry the offense for the short-handed Sixers. “It’s hard guarding one of the quickest players in the NBA, full court, always being in front, navigating screens, putting your body on the line, and that’s what he did tonight and he was incredible,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “(Maxey) took a lot of shots. He made a lot of shots. He missed a lot of shots, but I think (Trent) was there for every one of them and he did an incredible job. He’s probably tired.”
Three-time All-Star forward Khris Middleton will miss the Bucks‘ game Sunday in Brooklyn as he continues his recovery from two offseason ankle surgeries, Nehm tweets. Middleton is considered day-to-day.
Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton vowed to work on his shot after being held scoreless Friday in New York, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Haliburton is shooting 1-of-16 from beyond the arc in the team’s first two games. “I’m going to get in the gym and I’m gonna shoot,” he said. “We’re all gonna shoot and we’re going to be ready to go on Sunday (against Philadelphia.) … I’m gonna get a lot of shots (Saturday). I’m gonna get a lot of shots on Sunday and I’m gonna be ready to go on Sunday.”

Central Notes: Pistons, Bucks, Cavs, Collet, Haliburton

October 9th, 2024 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Pistons owner Tom Gores is pleased with the way that new president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon identified three-point shooting and veteran leadership as priorities in his first summer on the job and made moves to address those areas, according to Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. Langdon and the Pistons’ front office signed Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley, and Paul Reed as free agents and traded for Tim Hardaway Jr.

“The core of the way we thought is we have this young group of players that need to be developed and also need to be complemented with the right players,” Gores said. “I feel really good about the veterans we’ve added. Tobias, who I’ve known for a long time, we have Beasley and Hardaway and Reed that’s come in. I feel very good about the offseason with the veterans.

“We knew these young men were good, they have a lot of potential. All of them. You see (Jaden) Ivey‘s really coming along well. But all of that said, we needed to complement them with the right thing so they could grow properly. I’m pretty excited. That’s how we approached it. We have a core that we believe in and we’ve got the veterans added in.”

The other major move that Gores signed off on during Langdon’s first offseason was the decision to part ways with Monty Williams even though the veteran head coach had five years left on the lucrative contract he signed with Detroit a year ago. Gores has no regrets about approving that coaching change after seeing the way J.B. Bickerstaff has handled the job so far.

“I think J.B.’s doing an incredible job communicating with the players and getting us organized,” Gores said. “I feel good. Everybody knows we have a lot of work to do, but we turned the page and we’re ready to go.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

Bucks head coach Doc Rivers shared some positive health updates on Tuesday, telling reporters – including Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – that Gary Trent Jr. will be “fine” after hyperextending his left elbow and may even play on Thursday and that Khris Middleton, who is recovering from surgeries on both ankles, could suit up for a game or two before the end of the preseason.
Bucks newcomer Taurean Prince spoke this week about the role he expects to play in Milwaukee, expressing that he believes his ability to play power forward “can serve the team very, very well.” Eric Nehm of The Athletic has the details.
Vincent Collet, the former head coach of the French men’s basketball national team, is reuniting with Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson, according to reporting from L’Equipe (hat tip to Eurohoops). After Atkinson worked under Collet as an assistant coach for the French team over the summer, Collet will reportedly serve as a consultant for Atkinson and the Cavs this season.
Speaking to James Boyd of The Athletic, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton discussed what he learned from his summer experience with Team USA and explained why he’s so excited about the continuity Indiana has established heading into the 2024/25 season. “We have the same coaching staff, let alone the same group of guys,” Haliburton said. “So, this is really refreshing, really exciting, because it’s less about teaching and more of the detail work and complex stuff and getting to those (stages) quicker. That’s been so refreshing and so fun for me, and I think that’s gonna make us so good moving forward.”

Eastern Notes: Heat, Haliburton, Raptors, Wizards

September 17th, 2024 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

The Heat are currently operating below the second tax apron by approximately $1.2MM with 14 players on guaranteed contracts. Adding a 15th man on a minimum-salary deal would push the team’s salary above the second apron, prohibiting the front office from aggregating salaries or sending out cash in a trade.

As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel acknowledges in a mailbag, the Heat could carry a 15th man on a non-guaranteed contract to open the regular season, essentially paying that player by the day and then waiving him to sneak back below the second apron if needed for an in-season deal. But Miami is more concerned about being able to carry a 15th man later in the season during the playoff race, according to Winderman, who anticipates the team will keep its final standard roster spot open this fall.

For what it’s worth, if the Heat do want to carry 15 players and surpass the second apron, they’d be able to do that and could still aggregate salaries in a trade as long as they sent out more salary than they took back in that trade, moving below the second apron as a result of the transaction. In that scenario, they’d be hard-capped at the second apron for the rest of the season.

Here’s more from around the East:

Asked last week during an appearance on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show (YouTube link) about rumors that he was attempting to recruit his Team USA teammates to the Pacers during his Olympic experience this summer, star guard Tyrese Haliburton suggested that story was overblown. “I think there was recruiting going on from everybody, but me saying that got blown out of proportion because I play in the smallest market,” Haliburton said. “… I’m not going anywhere. So if (anyone) wants to play with me, they’d have to come (to Indiana).”
With Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Jakob Poeltl locked in as starters, who will claim the fifth spot in the Raptors‘ starting five? Eric Koreen of The Athletic explores that question in an article examining Toronto’s depth chart and rotation, speculating that Gradey Dick will be the fifth starter and that rookie Ja’Kobe Walter will get a shot at rotation minutes this fall.
The Capital City Go-Go – the Wizards‘ G League affiliate – announced that they’ve acquired Erik Stevenson‘s returning rights from the Texas Legends (Mavericks) in exchange for a 2024 first-round pick and Jake Stephens‘ returning rights (Twitter link). The move suggests that Stevenson, a former West Virginia standout who played for the Wizards in Summer League, will be with Washington’s G League team to open the 2024/25 season and could be a candidate for a preseason Exhibit 10 contract.

Team USA Notes: Curry, LeBron, Durant, Haliburton, Banchero

August 13th, 2024 at 7:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Could some of the gold-medal winners from Team USA pair up in the future on an NBA team? Sam Amick of The Athletic explores that topic, noting that superstar-laden teams are sometimes born out of their bonding experiences with USA Basketball.

A LeBron James–Stephen Curry pairing seems unlikely now that LeBron’s son is on the Lakers roster and Curry would like to finish his career with the Warriors. Could Golden State eventually wind up with Durant-Curry reunion or a Devin Booker–Curry backcourt? Suns owner Mat Ishbia has squashed talk of trading his stars but Amick speculates that could change if Phoenix flops in the postseason again.

We have more USA Basketball-related news:

If Kevin Durant wants to play for Team USA in Los Angeles, team officials would like to have him back, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (hat tip to Zach Bachar of Bleacher Report). “I would not rule out KD playing, and I talked with Team USA officials, and they would give him a provisional yes right now,” Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective. Durant has already set the Olympic record with four gold medals in men’s basketball. Durant, who averaged 13.8 points and 3.2 rebounds in Paris off the bench, will be 39 in 2028.
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton hopes to retain his spot on Team USA in future Olympics, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. He informed managing director Grant Hill that he’d welcome an invite to the Los Angeles Games. “I’ve told Grant — I’ve said it many times — I want to represent USA Basketball for as long as I can,” Haliburton said. He was essentially the 12th man on this year’s squad, averaging 8.8 minutes in three appearances. He was dealing with a minor leg injury during the tournament.
Magic forward Paolo Banchero, a member of USA’s last World Cup team, was under serious consideration for the Paris Olympics, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. He’s a player Hill wants to feature in future Olympics. In the same piece, Vardon speculates which players from this year’s gold medal squad might be back for 2028.

Tyrese Haliburton Had “Minor Leg Injury” During Olympics

August 12th, 2024 at 1:20pm CST by Rory Maher

Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton dealt with a “minor leg injury” and underwent an MRI during the Olympics, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

Haliburton was essentially Team USA’s 12th man during the Olympics in Paris, which concluded on Sunday. He averaged just 8.8 minutes per game in his three appearances; the Americans went 6-0 to claim the gold medal, so the 24-year-old didn’t play at all in three contests, including the semifinal and final.

Haliburton was hampered during the 2023/24 season with a hamstring strain he sustained in January. While he ultimately appeared in 69 games and made the All-NBA Third Team, securing an extension that starts at 30% (instead of 25%) of the salary cap, his effectiveness was clearly diminished post-injury. Haliburton wound up missing his final two postseason games vs. Boston with a hamstring injury as well.

There’s no indication that the leg issue Haliburton was managing during the Olympics is a cause for concern going forward, given Windhorst’s description. Still, it’s a noteworthy event when a player like Haliburton — one of Team USA’s top performers at the 2023 World Cup — undergoes an MRI.

Olympic Notes: Maluach, Deng, Tatum, Embiid, Team USA

August 1st, 2024 at 10:09pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Seventeen-year-old South Sudan center and projected 2025 NBA lottery pick Khaman Maluach recently expressed his gratitude to be enjoying an Olympic experience so early in his career, writes Marc J. Spears of Andscape. The 7’2″ big man will play for Duke in the fall.

“To me, this whole experience is sometimes feels like I’m living in a dream at 17 years old. Big dreams. And I’m just a small-town kid chasing big dreams in the big city,” Maluach told Spears.

As Spears notes, South Sudan only gained its independence from Sudan in 2011. The country does not yet have a single indoor basketball court, but that didn’t stop it from qualifying for the Olympics this year.

“Right now, we’re going to celebrate our win, be grateful for our first Olympic game and our first win,” Maluach said after Team South Sudan bested Team Puerto Rico on Sunday, 90-79. “So, I’m going to celebrate until 12 midnight. We put this game aside and get ready for the next game.”

Following South Sudan’s loss to Team USA on Wednesday, the team can qualify for the quarterfinals either with a win over Serbia on Sunday or with some tiebreaker luck in the event of a Sunday loss.

There’s more out of the Olympics:

Former two-time All-Star Luol Deng, who has been self-funding South Sudan’s basketball program since 2021, is watching his vision for the team get fully realized in these Olympics, writes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “Every time we play, the whole nation stops to watch us play,” head coach Royal Ivey said. “We’re bringing them together. We’re uniting the fans and the people of South Sudan. And that’s way bigger than wins and losses.” According to Thompson, Deng was offered front office work by his old team, the Bulls, as well as the Bucks after he retired in 2019. But he felt the pull to return to South Sudan and build up the basketball club. “It was never about being famous or making money and leaving home,” Deng said of his NBA career. “It was all about being successful and returning home. So it’s kind of cool that I can come back and get things done now — which is just, in a way, it’s a dream come true.”
Eastern Conference All-Stars Jayson Tatum, and Joel Embiid are undergoing a rare-for-them humbling experience through Team USA’s group play games, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Both have been healthy scratches for one of the club’s two group play blowout victories at the Paris Olympics. Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton has too. “Definitely a humbling experience, right?” Tatum said. “Win a championship, new contract, cover of (NBA) 2K (video game) and then you sit a whole game. Cover of Sports Illustrated. So it was definitely a humbling experience.”
After playing a few unexpectedly close tune-up games prior to the official start of the Olympics, a loaded Team USA looked vulnerable against a field with more NBA talent than ever. Two games into the pool play phase, the U.S. has left little doubt that it’s by far the best club out there, writes Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Head coach Steve Kerr‘s multifaceted team has looked virtually unbeatable since Kevin Durant returned to the lineup. The Suns All-NBA forward had missed all five of Team USA’s exhibition matchups with a calf strain.

Central Notes: Pistons Roster, Pistons Outlook, Ball, Haliburton

July 26th, 2024 at 10:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons have an open roster spot but that doesn’t mean they will fill it anytime soon, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press writes. They could sign one of the better remaining free agents on the market — Tyus Jones, Markelle Fultz, Luke Kennard or Isaac Okoro — but they could just leave the spot open to facilitate a trade where they could acquire more future assets.

We have more from the Central Division:

The Pistons in the play-in tournament next season? It’s not as far-fetched as it might sound, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic. Most of the other Eastern Conference teams who were in the play-in or lottery last season have not improved their rosters, with the possible exception of Miami. The Pistons, meanwhile, have added several solid veteran rotation players who will help them in the short run.
Lonzo Ball confirmed that his “first real test” will be next month when he participates in 5-on-5 scrimmages, he said on ‘The WAE Show’ (hat tip to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago). The Bulls guard hasn’t played since Jan. 14, 2022 due to knee issues. Ball will make $21.4MM in the final year of his contract next season.
In a GQ profile, Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton told Andrew Greif that his team is being overlooked as a major contender in the East. “All I keep seeing is, ‘Who’s going to win the East? Boston, Milwaukee, New York, or Philly?’” Haliburton said. “It’s like, what are we doing [not being included]? But again, we’re Indiana, people didn’t even know, people didn’t even watch us play until the playoffs. People didn’t watch us play until the second round. But again, that respect comes with winning. So if we want to gain that respect, we just got to keep having success as a team. And it’s coming.”

Olympics Notes: Durant, Brown, Edwards, Haliburton, LeBron

July 13th, 2024 at 7:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Durant remains sidelined with a calf strain, but Team USA is optimistic that he’ll be ready in time for the Olympics, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Durant missed practice again today in Abu Dhabi and isn’t expected to play in Monday’s exhibition contest against Australia. He also sat out Wednesday’s game against Canada in Las Vegas.

“I know there’s still a couple of weeks before we have to make a decision roster-wise,” coach Steve Kerr said. “So we’re just taking it day by day.”

The U.S. squad has already made one roster move, selecting Derrick White to replace Kawhi Leonard, who has been troubled by inflammation in his right knee since late in the regular season. White is headed to the United Arab Emirates and is expected to participate in his first practice on Sunday, Windhorst adds.

The team doesn’t seem to have a backup plan in place if Durant is unable to play.

“It’s not something we’ve even discussed at this point because we feel good that he is going to be OK,” Kerr said.

There’s more on Team USA:

Jaylen Brown didn’t intend any disrespect toward White when he sent out a series of tweets expressing disappointment that he wasn’t considered to replace Leonard, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Brown was upset that he wasn’t a priority after helping the Celtics post the league’s best record and being named MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals. Brown also suggested that politics may be involved, as Nike is sponsoring the Olympic team and Brown has been critical of the company in the past, particularly after it dropped Kyrie Irving.
First-time Olympians Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton are the youngest players on a veteran squad and will likely be part of the future for Team USA, notes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. The two guards are the only members of last year’s World Cup team that were invited to be part of the Olympics. “We got one common goal in mind and that’s to not come up short this year,” Edwards said. “We the young’uns. We might be in this thing a few years to come. That’s my brother.”
In an interview with Drew Weisholtz of The Today Show, LeBron James confirmed that he won’t be playing in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. James, 39, already has two Olympic golds and wants to win one more for his country before he retires. “At this point in my career, I still, I have a lot to give,” he said, “and Team USA has given a lot to me, so I feel like it’s an opportunity for me to give back.”