Indiana Pacers

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton said he expects to be good to go for Team USA training camp as he recovers from a hamstring injury suffered during the NBA playoffs, per the Indianapolis Star's Dustin Dopirak.

"The hamstring is good," Haliburton said on Friday. "... Today I ran for the first time full speed. I got another three weeks before USA. I feel good. I'm really excited to get out there and do that."

Haliburton, who missed Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, will need to report to Las Vegas in just a few weeks to begin preparing for the Paris Olympics, which begin in July. This year marks Haliburton's first time competing in the Olympics.

Haliburton initially suffered a hamstring injury in January, forcing him to miss 10 games. He injured the same hamstring in Game 2 of the conference finals as the Celtics swept the Pacers.

Haliburton continued his trajectory upwards during the 2023-24 season, averaging 20.1 points per game and leading the league in assists with 10.9 per game. He had a strong showing in his first playoff appearance, but ultimately was sidelined and unable to help Indiana reach the Finals for the first time since 2000.

Now, the rising star will look to get his hamstring to 100 percent and help lead Team USA to a gold medal. Haliburton was a member of the 2023 FIBA World Cup team that finished in fourth place—which marked just one of seven times Team USA has finished outside of the top three.

Haliburton will join Team USA veterans like LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant along with newcomers like Anthony Edwards and Joel Embiid in Paris this summer.

Team USA has won four straight gold medals in the Olympics and will look to make it five this year behind a star-studded roster.

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle believes LeBron James' son and NBA draft prospect Bronny James won't be available for the Pacers to select at No. 50, he said on Green Light with Chris Long.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that he goes quite a bit higher than that," Carlisle said.

The Pacers have the 49th and 50th picks in this month's draft, which seemed like an appropriate range for James to land, but the one-and-done from USC has made a case to be a slightly higher pick in recent weeks.

While his numbers with the Trojans don't jump off the page, he displayed his athleticism and had solid shooting numbers at last month's NBA combine.

Recently, James met with the Phoenix Suns and reportedly "had a strong workout." As the NBA draft nears, he'll look to impress more teams to help his draft stock rise.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projects James to land with the Los Angeles Lakers with the No. 55 overall pick in his most recent mock draft. If James is still available that late in the draft, it seems reasonable that the Lakers would take him considering the connection to his father, but Carlisle seems confident he'll be off the board by then.

If Carlisle is that high on James, perhaps he will urge the Pacers' front office to take him with their No. 36 pick.

While Tyrese Haliburton said he could barely walk in the immediate aftermath of the hamstring injury he suffered during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, the Indiana Pacers guard had his mind set on playing Game 3.

The organization had other plans.

"I called my agents that morning and said, 'Hey, I feel good, I'm not going to lie to you guys, I really don't care what you say, I'm gonna try to play,'" Haliburton said, per Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star.

"There was obviously an organization-wide meeting with our front office, with agents, with everybody. They did what their job is, to protect me from myself and wouldn't allow me to play Game 3. I understand the long-term implications of the chances of re-hurting my hamstring. I'm just very thankful for this organization from protecting me from myself."

The injury limited him to 28 minutes in Game 2 and kept him sidelined for Games 3 and 4 as the Celtics finished the sweep.

"It's been really frustrating," Haliburton said. "It's been trash, honestly. You work so hard to get somewhere and something happens that's out of your control. Obviously that's frustrating for me. But what I've understood more than anything is that usually in the playoffs, the healthier team wins. They're a hell of a team. Boston's a great team. But obviously very frustrating for me and how I was playing at the time and how we were playing as a group."

There is an element of irony in the comments, as Indiana was certainly the healthier team in the first two rounds of the playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and others suffered injuries.

Still, Haliburton's setback was poorly timed to say the least for the Pacers.

He also revealed it was a different hamstring injury and not just a re-aggravation of the one he suffered on Jan. 8 that forced him to miss 10 games in the regular season and bothered him for the rest of the campaign.

Even with their star player sidelined, the Pacers still led Game 3 by eight points in the final three minutes and Game 4 by eight points in the final six minutes. Yet poor execution down the stretch of both contests opened the door for Boston comebacks, and the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed took full advantage.

Perhaps things would have been different if Haliburton was on the floor, but Indiana also collapsed in the final minute of regulation in Game 1 when he was playing and then lost in overtime.

While the Pacers surpassed expectations by reaching the Eastern Conference Finals, it was also a series that will likely bother them throughout the upcoming offseason because of how winnable three of the four games were even against a strong Boston side.

It could also be a motivating factor for next season when Haliburton is ideally healthy again and ready to lead another deep playoff run.

The Indiana Pacers are reportedly expected to offer Pascal Siakam a max contract this summer in free agency.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium said re-signing Siakam is the Pacers' "biggest priority" of the offseason.

Siakam is eligible for a five-year, $245 million contract this summer. A full five-year max would take Siakam through his 35th birthday.

The Pacers sent Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, Kira Lewis Jr. and three first-round picks to the Toronto Raptors for Siakam in January. Two of those first-round picks convey this year in a weak draft. The final first-rounder is a protected pick (Nos. 1-4) in 2026 and 2027. If the Pacers draft in the top four in 2026 and 2027, the last pick converts to a pair of second-round picks.

Siakam averaged 21.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 41 regular-season games with the Pacers. A two-time All-Star, he has settled into a tier of players who are hard to evaluate. He's very good at a number of things but elite at none. It's hard to justify paying a player of Siakam's caliber nearly $50 million a season, but the Pacers are not a free-agent destination, and he appears to enjoy playing in Indiana.

"It's been a blessing," Siakam told reporters Monday night. "I'm really appreciative of everything. Coming from where I come from, it means a lot."

Indiana could have competition in the open market if Siakam wants to explore his options. The Philadelphia 76ers are armed with cap space, a title-contending roster and were reportedly interested in trading for Siakam before he was sent to Indiana. The Sixers can only offer Siakam four years and $183.2 million if they hope to sign him outright.

It's hard to imagine Siakam turning down an extra $60-plus million if it's on the table.

Before looking ahead to free agency, Pascal Siakam was happy to have experienced this postseason run with the Indiana Pacers after being acquired in a midseason trade from the Toronto Raptors.

Speaking to reporters after a 105-102 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Siakam said "it's been a blessing" to be with the Pacers.

"I'm really appreciative of everything," he added. "Coming from where I come from, it means a lot."

The Pacers aren't known for making bold trades, but their ascent into playoff contention at the start of this season opened things up. They sent Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round draft picks to Toronto for Siakam on Jan. 18.

It was assumed when Indiana made that deal, there was a strong possibility Siakam would sign a new contract with the club this summer.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported the day after the trade was announced that rival teams believed Siakam was "a lock" to remain with the Pacers beyond this season.

Siakam's agent went on the record to tell Andscape's Marc J. Spears his client's "future looks bright" in Indiana.

The primary reason Siakam didn't sign an extension immediately after the trade is because he could only receive $80 million over two years.

Per ESPN's Bobby Marks, Siakam is eligible to sign a five-year deal worth up to $245 million with the Pacers this summer.

Siakam was terrific for Indiana after the trade. The two-time All-Star averaged 21.3 points on 54.9 percent shooting, 7.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in 41 starts.

The Pacers made the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season. They defeated the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks in the first two rounds to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2014.

Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton is out for Game 4 against the Boston Celtics with a hamstring strain, per The Athletic's Joe Vardon.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle later confirmed that Haliburton is out, per ESPN's Jamal Collier.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported that Haliburton was "unlikely" to play in Monday night's elimination game against the Celtics.

"I'm told that it is unlikely that Tyrese Haliburton plays in Game 4, but he has not yet been ruled out," Wojnarowski said on NBA Today. "He has wanted to try to figure out a way to play in this series, even with that hamstring soreness/stain. But the team, especially Rick Carlisle, their front office, they want to err on the side of caution with him."

Haliburton, who suffered a hamstring injury in January, aggravated the injury against the Celtics in Game 2 and was sidelined for Game 3. Boston leads the series 3-0 and can close things out with a win on Monday night.

Haliburton had 25 points and 10 assists in Game 1 before recording 10 points and eight assists in limited action in Game 2. The fourth-year player is averaging 18.6 points and 8.2 assists per game in his first postseason.

Though Haliburton has been a bit inconsistent throughout the playoffs, he has stepped up in a handful of big moments. He notched back-to-back 30+ point performances in the semifinals as well as a 26-point showing in Game 7 to close out the New York Knicks.

Haliburton's first playoff run could be over, though. With Boston holding a 3-0 lead, the Pacers would need a historic comeback to win the series.

Game 4 tips off at 8 p.m. ET Monday night and the Celtics are looking to advance to the Finals for the second time in the last three seasons. The Pacers will look to extend their season by at least one game, but they'll have to do so with their star on the bench.

The Indiana Pacers went the unorthodox route in its attempt to tie Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals Saturday.

After falling down 114-111 with 1.1 seconds left on the clock, Indiana lined up in a formation that looked more like a football play than a basketball play.

The ball would find it's way to Aaron Nesmith, who floated a potential game-tying shot that hit the rim but did not find its way into the net, allowing the Celtics to take the victory.

While the creative final play nearly paid off, Indiana should not have been in that position to begin with.

The Pacers led 69-57 at halftime and held an eight-point lead on the Celtics with less than three minutes remaining in the game. Still, the Celtics clawed back and Jrue Holliday scored five points in the final 40 seconds to give his team the win.

Indiana now has a 3-0 hole to climb out of in order to reach the NBA Finals. No team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in a series, so the Pacers would need to pull off the unprecedented in order to advance.

However, more creative plays like the one at the end could maybe be what allows Indiana to take that step.

It will get a chance to do that in Game 4 on Monday at 8 P.M. ET.

Indiana Pacers doesn't believe effort and focus will be issues for his players despite the team staring at a 3-0 deficit in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Carlisle called the Pacers' performance "courageous" in their 114-111 loss to the Boston Celtics.

"Our guys played a great game," he told reporters. "We came up a little short tonight, but we will be back Monday and we will be punching even harder."

Indiana led by as many as 18 points despite missing star guard Tyrese Haliburton, but Haliburton's absence became a bigger issue as the Celtics started storming back in the second half. The Pacers scored just 42 points in the final two quarters.

The series has been much closer than Boston's position would lead you to believe.

Carlisle remains defiant in the face of the Pacers long odds, saying they're "going to be undeterred" and "going to come at them even harder."

But history speaks for itself. No team in the NBA has ever overcome a 3-0 series deficit. The Celtics famously evened the Eastern Conference Finals last year after dropping the first three games, only to run out of gas in Game 7.

Boston is simply a stronger team than Indiana, even with Kristaps Porziņģis nursing a calf injury, and Haliburton suffering a hamstring strain in Game 2 was probably the moment the Pacers were truly toast. According to NBA.com, they've had a minus-5.8 net rating without him on the court in the playoffs.

Effort can only go so far in bridging the obvious talent gap between the two teams in the conference finals.