INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers are ready to put the 2025-26 season behind them. It was a season filled with too many injuries to count, with a bleak 19-63 record.
But the Pacers are healthy again. Tyrese Haliburton is back, Ivica Zubac is healthy again, and the entire starting five has finally had time to gel throughout training camp practices.
Whether they can stay healthy, however, could define their season once again.
Here are two X-factors for the Pacers' 2026-27 season, plus one bold prediction:
CAN THEY AVOID THE INJURY BUG?

#Pacers #indianapolis #tyrese #ivica

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers are ready to put the 2025-26 season behind them. It was a season filled with too many injuries to count, with a bleak 19-63 record.
But the Pacers are healthy again. Tyrese Haliburton is back, Ivica Zubac is healthy again, and the entire starting five has finally had time to gel throughout training camp practices.
Whether they can stay healthy, however, could define their season once again.
Here are two X-factors for the Pacers' 2026-27 season, plus one bold prediction:
CAN THEY AVOID THE INJURY BUG?

#season #haliburton

PARIS, FRANCE - JANUARY 23: Sandro Mamukelashvili of San Antonio Spurs slam dunks in the NBA game between San Antonio Spurs and the Indiana Pacers at The Accor Arena on January 25, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
The Indiana Pacers currently sit somewhere that they are rarely found: over the luxury tax.
In fact, the Pacers haven't been a tax paying team since the 2004-05 season. In the two decades since, the franchise has always finished with a team salary below the luxury tax line and received a distribution of money from the league's taxpaying teams.
Since 2005, the only NBA teams to never cross the luxury tax threshold are the Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies, Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets, and Sacramento Kings. Reporting suggested that the Pacers may have been willing to do so in the 2025-26 season after their run to the NBA Finals, but Tyrese Haliburton's injury changed everything before Myles Turner left in free agency.
Since 2001-02, the Pacers have finished a season above the luxury tax barrier three times. Yet right now, they are in a position where if no money saving moves are made between now and the last day of the league year, that streak would end at the conclusion of the 2026-27 season.

#Pacers #since #season

Karnisovas not only was fixated on Williams, but he didn't even consider Haliburton a serious prospect. A source indicated that Karnisovas didn't even think Haliburton would be a top-four talent on the Bulls' roster at the time.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Arturas Karnisovas consider Tyrese Haliburton a serious prospect?

#even

Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton opened up about his relationship with Indianapolis Colts QB Daniel Jones.
Haliburton tore his Achilles in June 2025 during Game 7 of the NBA Finals, while Jones tore his Achilles during Week 14 in December 2025.
Both Indiana-based stars are returning to the court this season after their long absences, and Haliburton opened up on how the pair connected over this time.
At the Pacers Foundation Charity Softball Classic, Haliburton spoke to the media and was asked about Jones, revealing the pair have been talking about their respective recoveries from their Achilles tears.
"Yeah, we talked a good amount. We have the same surgeon. He got hurt much closer to now, and he's coming back earlier. I am excited to see how everything pans out for him."

#indiana #tore #indianapolis

76ers' Tyrese Maxey spotted working out with Pacers' star originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Tyrese Maxey went into the offseason off of what has been one of the more impressive seasons in his career, putting up career-highs with 28.3 points per game, as well as 6.6 ***** ists, showing that he still has a lot left in his bag to use on the court. There's a case to be made that the 25-year-old's incredulous work ethic has made these improvements possible, and all of that really kicks into high gear during the offseason.
The last few months have been an example of Maxey's work rate despite not taking place during the season, as he's been in the gym constantly, working with some new teammates, including Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, or more recently, taking some time with the younger members of the Philadelphia 76ers, VJ Edgecombe and Labaron Philon Jr.
Yet a gym session didn't include a teammate, but rather a conference rival: Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton.
Both of the former all-stars were seen in the gym together, having been working out with skills trainer Drew Hanlen, with one of the shots of the two seeing them face off, with the Sixers' star taking the lead with the rock.

#made

OSHKOSH − Apparently, vintage shopping is a bit of a "Bad Habit" for the stars, too.
Oshkosh thrift store 01 Vintage is on one heck of a run, having welcomed Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran to the store just days after NBA star guard Tyrese Haliburton also popped in for some merch.
Both 01 Vintage's Facebook and Instagram pages were all the buzz this weekend, with the downtown Oshkosh thrift shop dropping posts showing Haliburton and Sheeran in the store within mere hours of each other.
Read more news: Watch a plane take shape in seven days at AirVenture in 2027
Sheeran appeared to be passing through the city en route to Toronto fresh off his latest stop on the Loop Tour at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis Aug. 15.

#oshkosh #sheeran #vintage #apparently

Tyrese Haliburton believes the Eastern Conference is finally better than the West originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The 2026 offseason has been quite eventful for the Eastern Conference. Jaylen Brown and LeBron James are now with the Philadelphia 76ers, Giannis Antetokounmpo is with the Miami Heat, and the New York Knicks are the defending champions.
It is one of the most loaded Eastern Conferences in a long time, and it could finally end the notion that the Western Conference is the better group. Now, Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers believes that he is part of the stronger conference ahead of the 2026-27 season.
With all the moves that happened this offseason and the Pacers' impending comeback with Haliburton, the East is quite challenging to play against. It is one of the most loaded Eastern Conferences in recent memory, which is refreshing due to the many years that the Western Conference has dominated the league.
There are plenty of teams that are ready to compete, as the likes of Philly, Miami, New York, and Indiana are all prepared. At the same time, teams like the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons are still ready to compete at a high level.

#conference #eastern #tyrese #Miami

Before Indiana Pacers superstar Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, the point guard was well on his way to becoming a household name. Sure, Haliburton had been well-known to basketball fans for years at that point, but an NBA championship ring would've pushed him into another realm of stardom.
Alas, it wasn't meant to be after Haliburton went down midway through the first quarter of Game 7, with the Oklahoma City Thunder cruising to victory in his absence.
Haliburton's injury coming at the latest possible moment of the season meant he would miss the Pacers' entire 2025-26 campaign rehabbing. Hali would raise his national profile a bit by contributing to Prime Video's NBA Nightcap throughout the season, but the Pacers guard was largely out of sight and out of mind as the team finished 19-63, the worst record in franchise history.
But with Haliburton poised to make his return this upcoming season, and the Pacers looking to right the ship, Indiana would seem to be an intriguing team headed into 2026-27. Alas, the NBA schedule makers didn't find them intriguing enough to put the team in a national television window for Haliburton's return. The Pacers will open the season against the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 21 and it will not be nationally televised.
That news didn't sit well with Haliburton, who shared his feelings on a recent episode of the Numbers on the Board podcast.

#Pacers #haliburton #point

Tyrese Haliburton on tearing his Achilles in Game 7: I don't know if I'll ever get over it. [...] When I strained my calf, I knew it was a possibility. We knew that internally. Kendrick Perkins was going on TV talking about 'Don't play.' Get the f*** out of here, what is he talking about 'Don't play'? I knew it was a possiblity. In that moment, everyone talks about how it feels like you got kicked. I knew right away, because Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was in front of me, so I was like, 'How did he kick me?' There was a short moment while I was falling where I was like, 'How did he kick me in the back of my leg?' And then I was like, 'Oh s***'. But those emotions were much more, 'I can't believe this is happening right now,' vs. that it happened. Because injuries are a part of the game, and I know I'm going to be fine and I know we're going to be fine as a group, and life goes on. But it was just like, 'Not now. Anytime but right now.' Because everything felt like it was clicking at that moment.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Tyrese Haliburton on tearing Achilles in Game 7: I don't know if I'll ever get over it

#game #haliburton

Tyrese Haliburton reveals that Giannis Antetokounmpo is impossibly hard to scheme against originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Now that he is on the Miami Heat, Giannis Antetokounmpo will be a weapon for the team. Everyone in the NBA is familiar with his impact when he was playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, but now he will be the star in South Beach alongside Bam Adebayo.
He is one of the most dominant players in the league, so it is not surprising that other players are wary of him and the Heat moving forward. As the Bucks' fiercest rivals, Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers were quite familiar with the Greek Freak.
Over the years, the Bucks and Pacers became fierce rivals. While the Bucks have had tremendous success, it seems Antetokounmpo and the team struggled to win against Haliburton's Pacers. It was a fierce rivalry with trash talk on both sides, but it seems Indiana won the war, especially with the two postseason series victories.
Despite how it looked, the Pacers did struggle against the Bucks from time to time. They might have a lot of wins against them, but head coach Rick Carlisle was hard at work making adjustments, setting up schemes, and preparing his team to play against the Bucks.

#Pacers #haliburton #indiana

Two seasons ago, the Indiana Pacers won 50 games and then reached Game 7 of the NBA Finals before falling to the champion New York Knicks after star guard Tyrese Haliburton went down with a torn Achilles tendon.
Last season, with Haliburton out while rehabilitating from surgery, the Pacers dropped to 19-63, a franchise worst.
Now, Indiana tips off its 2026-27 regular season at New Orleans at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, before returning to Indianapolis on Friday, Oct. 23 for the home opener at Gainbridge Fieldhouse vs. the Dallas Mavericks at 7 p.m.
The Pacers announced the schedule Friday.
Among the highlights in a team news release:

#Friday #season

OSHKOSH – Indiana Pacers guard and Oshkosh North alum Tyrese Haliburton was back in the Oshkosh North gym on a summer day. It was like he was back in elementary school or middle school just at another basketball camp.
But this time, at the CareSource Tyrese Haliburton Impact Camp, campers wore shirts with Haliburton's likeness on them in Indiana Pacers colors.
"I grew up going to North basketball camp from the time I was in first grade to the rest of my life essentially," Haliburton said. "I have a lot of memories in this gym, so I keep joking with these kids, I'm like, 'If there's anywhere I feel like I'm not going to miss it's in this building right here.'"
More: Haliburton points out trend in Wisconsin natives going to Iowa State
It's the third summer in a row that Haliburton has hosted a camp at Oshkosh North and each year he's come back after a major life event. The first summer he returned after winning a gold medal at the Olympics, last summer he was coming off a trip to the NBA Finals where he suffered a torn Achilles tendon and was walking around the camp in a walking boot. This year he returned, not long after getting married.

#haliburton #like

The release of the NBA Cup group play schedule Wednesday gives Pacers fans two marquee home games to circle on the calendar against the teams who may be the favorites to win the Eastern Conference. One of those will be broadcast nationally.
The Pacers will host the defending NBA champion New York Knicks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. in a rematch of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals and a game that will be broadcast on Amazon's Prime network. Then on Nov. 27, the Pacers host the Philadelphia 76ers at 7:30 p.m., which means LeBron James and Jaylen Brown come to town in new uniforms after James signed in free agency and Brown was traded from Boston.
The Pacers open NBA Cup group play on Oct. 30, the opening night of the event, on the road at Miami where they will see Giannis Antetokounmpo in a Heat uniform after his offseason trade. They also play the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Friday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
The Pacers are part of what would be called in soccer parlance a "group of death" thanks to their franchise-worst 19-63 finish last season when they were missing All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton due to a torn right Achilles tendon. Teams are randomly ***** igned to groups, but only after they're tiered according to last season's regular season finish.
The four other teams in the group all reached the postseason last year. The Knicks rode the Eastern Conference's third seed to the NBA ***** le. The Cavaliers finished fourth in the East and lost to the Knicks in the conference finals. The 76ers finishing seventh but stunned Boston in the first round before losing to the Knicks in the conference semifinals. The Heat reached the play-in round as the No. 10 seed but lost to Charlotte. Of course, the group was bolstered by the offseason entry of James and Antetokounmpo, two players with multiple MVP awards.

#Pacers #group #eastern #last

The Pacers' social media team started leaving breadcrumbs a week ago leading to the announcement of their new pinstriped Statement uniforms. Just before the formal announcement, they pointed back at the trail.
The Pacers posted a photo graphic of the uniforms with tweets clamoring for a return of the pinstripes. The post read: "Please go back and read the first letter of our last 17 tweets," with two eye emojis.
Indeed, the first letter of that tweet and the previous 16 spelled out "PINSTRIPES ARE BACK."
The pattern was never obvious in large part because the letters were posted in reverse order chronologically so that scrolling through the timeline would spell out the words. So the last letter -- K -- was posted first on July 23 in a post about newly acquired Pacers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. highlighting a quote in a podcast from general manager Chad Buchanan. It wasn't until Wednesday that any of the posts even touched on the topic of uniforms as the social media team kept the bit going through tweets about Obi Toppin's charity golf outing, video of Tyrese Haliburton dunking during his Achilles tendon injury recovery, Toppin's serving as the pace car driver at the Brickyard 400 and the appearances of Jarace Walker and Braden Smith at basketball camps.
The tweets follow.

#first #pinstripes

The Pacers' social media team started leaving breadcrumbs a week ago leading to the announcement of their new pinstriped Statement uniforms. Just before the formal announcement, they pointed back at the trail.
The Pacers posted a photo graphic of the uniforms with tweets clamoring for a return of the pinstripes. The post read: "Please go back and read the first letter of our last 17 tweets," with two eye emojis.
Indeed, the first letter of that tweet and the previous 16 spelled out "PINSTRIPES ARE BACK."
The pattern was never obvious in large part because the letters were posted in reverse order chronologically so that scrolling through the timeline would spell out the words. So the last letter -- K -- was posted first on July 23 in a post about newly acquired Pacers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. highlighting a quote in a podcast from general manager Chad Buchanan. It wasn't until Wednesday that any of the posts even touched on the topic of uniforms as the social media team kept the bit going through tweets about Obi Toppin's charity golf outing, video of Tyrese Haliburton dunking during his Achilles tendon injury recovery, Toppin's serving as the pace car driver at the Brickyard 400 and the appearances of Jarace Walker and Braden Smith at basketball camps.
The tweets follow.

#tweets #uniforms #Media

Tyrese Haliburton is having a productive and loving summer. On Tuesday, the Indiana Pacers guard's now-wife Jade Jones announced on Instagram that the couple is officially married. The two got married at an Indianapolis courthouse with family and friends as their witnesses. "It's (courthouse) official," Jones captioned the post. For the courthouse ceremony, Haliburton went with an all-black outfit complete with a pair of black Puma suede classic shoes, while Jones opted for a white dress, white heels and a bouquet of white flowers.
ESPN
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Tyrese Haliburton is having a productive and loving …

#haliburton #jones #tuesday

Just two short years ago, the Indiana Pacers took the Oklahoma City Thunder to Game 7 of the NBA Finals. They were just one win shy of their first ever NBA championship.
Unfortunately, in Game 7, tragedy struck the Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton went down with a torn Achilles early in the game, which ended Indiana's hopes of a ****** le.
Throughout the course of the 2025-26 NBA season, the Pacers fought hard. However, it was clear that they were nothing close to the team they were previously without Haliburton on the court. When all was said and done, Indiana mustered up a 19-63 record.
So far during the offseason, the Pacers have made some quality moves. They were able to sign veteran wing Kelly Oubre Jr. to a two-year deal worth around $17 million. Indiana also signed veteran big man Larry Nance Jr. to a one-year deal.
Once again, Indiana is expected to be a contender this coming year.

LeBron James James will be at the Javits Center in New York for Fanatics Fest 2026 this week, which provides a large, controlled stage to potentially announce his next destination — and possibly his last in the NBA. On Thursday, he will partake in a live recording of his "Mind the Game" podcast at 1:15 p.m. ET, where he will be joined by special co-host and Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: LeBron James to make public appearance Thursday amid free agency speculation

The Philadelphia 76ers are undergoing some tweaking to the roster as President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey is looking to put his stamp on the organization. His first two moves were to bring in Dean Wade along with Ariel Hukporti as he looks to build the supporting cast around the team's core.
With the additions, that means the loss of some key players from the previous team. The Sixers already lost Quentin Grimes to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, but they will now also lose Kelly Oubre Jr. in free agency.
Oubre has reportedly agreed to a 2-year $17 million deal with the Indiana Pacers. The 11-year veteran out of Kansas played three seasons in Philadelphia and averaged 14.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.6 ****** ists while being a key defender for the Sixers.
Oubre had some good moments with the Sixers, but he will now look to take that production to a Pacers team that has high hopes in 2026-27 with the return of star guard Tyrese Haliburton.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers lose versatile forward Kelly Oubre Jr. to Pacers in free agency

76ers' NBA Cup group revealed for 2026-27 season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
While the NBA world is currently refreshing its feeds to keep up with the latest free agency rumors, the league itself has been making some big decisions for key events in the coming season, most notably the NBA Cup. It was revealed on Tuesday afternoon that the league's mid-season tournament would be moving its finals destination to the iconic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
It will be the first time that the finals of the NBA Cup will take place outside of Las Vegas, which has hosted the latter stages of the competition since its inception back in 2023. But in order to reach the finals, the league needed to get the groups figured out, which allowed the Philadelphia 76ers to discover who they'll be taking on.
The 76ers are slated to take on the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, and Miami Heat during the group stage of the mid-season tournament. The matches against the Knicks and Heat will be held at the Xfinity Mobile Arena, while the fixtures against the Pacers and Cavaliers will be road games for Philadelphia.
The group will see Nick Nurse's side have quite the uphill battle as they will look to do something they've never done before: qualify for the knockout stage of the competition. They'll have to go through the gauntlet of the recently traded Giannis Antetokounmpo, the reigning NBA Champions, a team full of star-caliber players in the Cavaliers, and a somewhat new-look Pacers squad, which will see Tyrese Haliburton return to action with some new faces alongside him.

NEW YORK — The Toronto Raptors traded for Kawhi Leonard (again). The Charlotte Hornets got off of LaMelo Ball (and Miles Bridges). Giannis Antetokounmpo is (finally) on South Beach. And the Boston Celtics are in a bad spot with their franchise co-star.
(So are the Detroit Pistons.)
As the Knicks attempt to reconstruct their roster around the championship core of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, Landry Shamet, Miles McBride and Jose Alvarado, the Eastern Conference power structure drastically shifted in the days leading into the June 30 kickoff to the 2026 NBA free agency period.
The biggest development out East? The stars are flocking, in what appears to be droves: The Toronto Raptors are almost immediately ******* le contenders after moving Brandon Ingram, Gradey ******* and draft picks to the Los Angeles Clippers for Leonard, who led the franchise to a ******* le in his lone 2018-19 season. Antetokoumpo’s arrival in Miami, too, creates a one-two punch with Heat All-Star Bam Adebayo. And suddenly, the Cleveland Cavaliers have entered the LeBron James sweepstakes. James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and a shoo-in first-ballot Hall of Famer, could write the final chapter of his storied career where it ultimately started — and help supercharge a Cavs team fresh off of an Eastern Conference finals appearance, and a four-game sweep at the hands of the Knicks.
Plus you can’t forget about those pesky Indiana Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton will be healthy, and the Pacers will be right back in the mix after Haliburton’s torn Achilles cost them Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Free agency begins in the NBA on Tuesday evening, and the Philadelphia 76ers will be looking to add to their roster in an effort to climb the ladder in the East. The Sixers have a ton of talent on the roster, and are armed with some exceptions that can help on the free agency landscape, and it will be on President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey and Co. to make the right moves.
As for their own free agents, it appears Kelly Oubre Jr. has a suitor. Per Marc Stein and Jake Fischer via The Stein Line , the Indiana Pacers have emerged as a potential option for Oubre:
In other Pacers developments: Sources say Josh Okogie is among a group of swingmen they are looking at to support the soon-to-be-back-from-injury Tyrese Haliburton . Indiana can pay part of the non-taxpayer midlevel to compete against other teams' prospective offers at the veteran's minimum and is also said to have Gary Trent Jr . and Kelly Oubre Jr. on its list.
Oubre averaged 14.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.6 ****** ists while shooting a career-high 36% from deep on 4.8 attempts per night in 2025-26. The 11-year veteran out of Kansas was a key contributor in all three of his seasons with Philadelphia and one has to wonder if the Sixers can work something out before the Pacers can come in with an offer.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Report: Pacers to have interest in Sixers free agent Kelly Oubre Jr.

"I look back at videos of me and I can see how swollen my face is," Haliburton said. "I'm glad that's beyond me and past me now. I feel great. My body feels great. I'm able to do everything. I feel like I'm operating like I'm a healthy NBA player for the first time in a long time, which is exciting. The fact that I'm able to come here without having to answer questions from anybody in our organization about my health, that I'm just able to jump in and do some things with the kids, that means the world to me. It's something I don't take for granted after the last 12 months."
Indianapolis Star
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: "I look back at videos of me and I can see how swollen …

After an Achilles tendon tear in his right leg in the first quarter of Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals last June stole from Tyrese Haliburton a chance to give the Pacers their first NBA ****** le and kept him out the entire following season, his shingles diagnosis in February knocked what to that point had been a steady recovery process off course. The illness -- a product of the re-activation of the virus that causes chickenpox -- attacked his face and his right eye in particular. He suffered from nerve pain, lost the hair in his eyebrow and wore glasses just to keep himself from relentlessly scratching at it.
Indianapolis Star
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: His shingles diagnosis in February knocked what to …

Tyrese Haliburton can already sense that it helps him play through contact on both ends of the floor. "My body feels great," Haliburton said. "I feel great moving. I feel great playing. My body just feels great in all honesty. I've never felt this strong. I still gotta get in a little bit of shape but I feel great. It's exciting and it's only what, the end of June here. I still have three more months. I feel like I'm in good shape, NBA shape, but there's a difference between NBA shape and Tyrese Haliburton shape. I'll get there."
Indianapolis Star
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Tyrese Haliburton on injury recovery: 'I've never felt this strong'

Ames native and Iowa State standout Tamin Lipsey is beginning his professional career in the NBA after signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Indiana Pacers as an undrafted free agent following the 2026 draft on Wednesday. Lipsey, who started a program-record 137 games during his four-year tenure with the Cyclones, will join fellow Iowa Stater Tyrese Haliburton in Indianapolis.
Leading up to the draft, Lipsey participated in the NBA G League Combine and the Portsmouth Invitational.
Lipsey first stepped into a primary role for the Cyclones as a freshman to replace Tyrese Hunter, and he eventually developed into one of the most decorated players in the Big 12. His collegiate accolades include three selections to both the All-Big 12 and Big 12 All-Defensive teams, as well as an AP All-American honorable mention in 2024.
Beyond his on-court performance, he was recognized as the CSC Division I Academic All-American of the Year and the Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year as a senior.
Statistically, Lipsey left a significant mark on the Iowa State program, becoming the all-time leader in steals by surpassing the record previously held by Monte Morris during his junior campaign.

Iowa State basketball's hometown hero is headed to Indianapolis.
Tamin Lipsey signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Pacers as an undrafted free agent after the conclusion of the 2026 NBA Draft on June 24.
The former Cyclones star will get his NBA shot after growing up in Ames and setting a program record 137 career starts over his four years at Iowa State. The Indiana Pacers are headlined by Iowa State product, two-time NBA All-Star Tyrese Haliburton.
He worked out for at least 10 NBA teams during the pre-draft process, including the Pacers, Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics. He also participated in the NBA G League Combine and the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound point guard helped fill a void upon his arrival as a freshman after Tyrese Hunter opted to transfer from Iowa State after a Big 12 Freshman of the Year campaign. Lipsey inherited the starting point guard spot from and quickly endeared himself to fans as an Ames native suiting up for the Cyclones. He further cemented himself as a fan favorite over the years with his defensive prowess, toughness, leadership and hustle.

It seemed like it was going to be a quiet day on the Marquette To NBA front as there was no chance of Ben Gold or Chase Ross getting selected in Wednesday night’s second round of the NBA Draft. However, Indiana Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan and Chicago Bulls general manager Stephen Mervis had different ideas. After Chicago selected Purdue guard Braden Smith with the 8th pick of the second round and the 38th pick overall, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania broke some news on a trade:
Former Marquette guard Kam Jones is headed to the Windy City.
Indiana is trading Jones to the Bulls along with some yet to be revealed future pick swaps and cash in exchange for the draft rights to Smith.
Jones was the #38 pick one year ago, technically being selected by San Antonio before a trade that was finalized after the fact sent him to the Pacers, much like this trade will eventually be finalized because the NBA rules about the league schedule are weird and bad. Marquette’s #2 all time leading scorer appeared in 37 games for Indiana this past season as the Pacers went 19-63 with Tyrese Haliburton out for the year after suffering an Achilles tear in the 2025 NBA Finals. Jones started seven times along the way and ended up averaging 4.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 3.2 ******* ists in 16.6 minutes per game. One thing that did not help Jones’ playing time was his 29.3% three-point shooting, and that was dragged down by shooting just 25% in Indiana’s final seven games of the season.
After being taken in the second round last year, Jones signed a three year contract with the Pacers that has a fourth season on a team option. In theory, that means that the Bulls are up for the idea of continuing Jones’ development for at least another two seasons. I would wager it means we will see him in Chicago black & red when Summer League pops up in July. Where things go from there as Tiago Splitter takes over as head coach and the Bulls move on from the front office pairing of Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley, we will have to wait and see…..

John Haliburton has always been the biggest fan of his son, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton.
His fandom sent him overboard at the end of a 2025 NBA playoff series, when he faced Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo on the court and waved a towel baring his son's image. Tyrese Haliburton had just capped a last-minute comeback in overtime as the Pacers clinched the series.
John Haliburton faced a lot of criticism for that, including a brief absence from Pacers playoff games, and he apologized to Antetokounmpo. Also, Tyrese Haliburton apologized for his father's behavior.
In a new article by NBA blogger Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson, the elder Haliburton said he wishes his son had handled that differently.
"When Tyrese stood up and told the media that I was wrong, I disagreed with him," John Haliburton said. "I told him: 'As long as I live, don’t ever tell anyone publicly that your dad is wrong. Never do that again. If you feel like I’m wrong, that is between me and you in private.' Just like if my son does something wrong, the world will never hear it from me. He will know it because I’ll talk to him directly, but the media and the public will never know."