Tyrese Haliburton injury update: Pacers star exits NBA Finals Game 7 with leg issue
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Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton exited the first quarter of Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday with a right lower leg injury. He will not return.
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Haliburton slipped with about seven minutes on the clock. And, after being surrounded by his entire team for a brief moment, he eventually got up and limped off the floor with assistance.
Haliburton was listed as questionable entering the championship-deciding game due to a right calf strain that he suffered in Game 5. He has since played through the injury.
More: NBA Finals Game 7 live updates: Thunder vs Pacers score, prediction, where to watch, TV
Calf strains are notoriously-dangerous injuries to play through. A recent example of that decision backfiring is Kevin Durant, who suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon after he opted to play through a calf strain in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals. ESPN's Lisa Salters was told by Haliburton's father that it is an Achilles injury.
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Haliburton scored nine points on 3-for-4 shooting from deep before his abrupt departure. He was replaced by backup point guard T.J. McConnell.
More: Thunder championship parade buses are ready and it's all Rick Carlisle is 'thinking about'
Justin Martinez covers sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Tyrese Haliburton injury update: Pacers star exits NBA Finals Game 7
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New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
NBA offseason themes to watch: Pacers' roster-building, second-apron fears and more
One team's tax situation has turned unpredictable. A player's contract is once again at the center of mixed messaging. And the entire NBA is avoiding one boogeyman. Let's open up the notebook to discuss three themes that have caught my eye heading into the offseason: The Pacers were ready for a historically expensive season. Advertisement A run through the Eastern Conference, even if it had halted before their miraculous seven-game NBA Finals appearance, was enough to justify paying the luxury tax for the first time in 20 years, league sources said. Indiana's payroll was about to reach never-before-seen heights. Life in the NBA changes quickly. Until shortly into Game 7 of the NBA Finals, the Pacers were the favorites to win the East once again next season. They were prepared to pay the tax to do it. Then the heart of their team, Tyrese Haliburton, tore his Achilles. With next season now a wash, the Pacers are still deciding how to handle their financial future, according to league sources. Do they keep everyone together and pay the tax in 2025-26? Or do they make a cost-cutting move or two with Haliburton sidelined and with a squad whose success is capped next season? The Pacers have 10 players under contract for 2025-26. Their salaries alone carry them only $20 million short of the luxury tax line. Those 10 do not include longtime starting center Myles Turner, who hits free agency June 30. Even if he were to re-sign even for a contract well below market value (say, $18 million a year, which is slightly less than he makes now and isn't realistic), his new salary would send Indiana into the tax. Think about some of the comparisons Turner could use to earn a significant raise. Last summer, Jarrett Allen extended with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a deal that will start at $30 million. But Turner just outplayed Allen in a second-round playoff series. The Oklahoma City Thunder paid Isaiah Hartenstein $28.5 million in 2024-25 salary. Nic Claxton re-signed with the Brooklyn Nets last July to make $25.3 million this past season. On Friday, Naz Reid and the Minnesota Timberwolves agreed to a five-year, $125 million contract, team and league sources confirmed to The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski. Advertisement Such is the market for centers, a position making a comeback. And Turner, a defensive difference-maker who can shoot 3s, has a rare skill set. A mammoth offer from another team may not come for Turner, though it's possible a giant contract from someone else would dissuade the Pacers from matching it and bringing him back. Most of the organizations with significant cap space this summer aren't competitive and wouldn't shell out the dough for a premier role player. If the Pacers choose to dip under the tax, they could still re-sign the big man and offload money in another way. Jarace Walker makes $6.7 million next season. Bennedict Mathurin, who is eligible for an extension this summer, makes $9.2 million. Obi Toppin makes $14 million. Or the Pacers could bet on themselves, opting to slide into the tax and keeping a core that just made the finals intact. They could fight to remain competitive in a decrepit Eastern Conference in 2026, then return the following season with a healthy Haliburton and a young nucleus. Indiana is still deciding its path. Denver Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke has had a difficult week. While discussing the limitations for teams that venture into the second apron, a payroll threshold well above the luxury tax that restricts the types of transactions an organization can make, Kroenke dropped what most fans consider a no-no. He referenced a three-time MVP, Nikola Jokić, and the word 'trade' in the same sentence. 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Such penny-pinching should be only for the paupers! The answer is because the second apron — even if it does trigger extravagant tax payments — is not just about the extra dollars. Kroenke's point was not that he would want to trade Jokić down the line, no matter what happens with the rest of the roster. It was that the current collective bargaining agreement has set up a reality in which decisions are not always made by the teams, but sometimes for the teams. Franchises stuck above the second apron better be ready to win and win now — or else. A team above the second apron, which projects to be $207.8 million in 2025-26, cannot sign free agents to any salary above the minimum, and certain types of players aren't eligible to sign at all, even for the lowest possible figures. It cannot take in more money than it gives out in trades. Future draft picks get frozen. Trade exceptions are eliminated. Essentially, any way to improve your team evaporates. First and foremost, living in the second apron is about losing resources. As Kroenke spoke at his news conference, a relevant teardown was occurring on the other side of the country. The Boston Celtics, only a year removed from a championship and only a couple of months after a devastating Achilles injury to their best player, Jayson Tatum, had just traded away one of their centerpieces, Jrue Holiday. The move was purely a financial one for a team that feared surpassing the second apron in 2025-26. Advertisement With little to no Tatum expected next season, the Celtics, who just lost in the second round of the playoffs, couldn't justify another year above the second apron. So they traded one starter. Shortly after Kroenke's news conference concluded, they flipped another, sending Kristaps Porziņģis to the Atlanta Hawks, another monetary move. The Celtics are now out of the second apron. They are also a worse basketball team, no longer a part of the East's top tier. One injury, just as Kroenke said with regards to his own squad, forced them to make deals they never would have considered if teams could worry only about basketball and none of the CBA quirks that come with building an NBA winner. When the league and players' association first released this CBA in 2023, conversation followed about the second apron acting as an unofficial hard cap, a concept to which Kroenke alluded. The Nuggets have made odd financial decisions during this time. For example, they're the only team to hand out the taxpayer mid-level exception over the past couple of summers, giving it to Reggie Jackson in 2023 and Dario Sarić in 2024. They regretted both decisions, attaching a slew of second-round picks to Jackson so they could dump him and then watching Sarić struggle this past season. They have treaded between the first and second aprons in the meantime. Denver knows better than most that expensive teams today — more than during previous CBA eras — can't afford to miss on the few swings they get. But the Nuggets are not the only team talking about the second apron this way. It's possible that the only organization above the second apron in 2025-26 will be the Cavaliers. If Cleveland fails to make a consequential run in the playoffs again next season, it will have the same conversation the rest of the league has. Advertisement The point of this CBA was to encourage a changing of the guard. The league wanted parity. It's accomplishing that. But with parity comes hyper-successful organizations that are unable to keep the band together for too long. The rules are working as intended, and while fans may be upset to hear reality phrased the way Kroenke said it, he's hardly the only person in the NBA thinking this way. The Phoenix Suns want to find Beal a new home. The situation — from a winning standpoint, from a personality one, from a financial one — continues to dive. Beal, whom the team traded for two summers ago, still has a couple of seasons and $110 million remaining on his contract. Every possibility has floated to the surface. Phoenix could try to trade Beal, as it did this past season, but his no-trade clause remains. The same that was true before the 2025 trade deadline is the case today, according to a league source familiar with Beal's thought process: Beal would be open to the right trade that sends him the right destination, but his preference is to remain in Phoenix, even if the team won only 35 games a season ago and just downgraded from Kevin Durant, who it dealt to the Houston Rockets last weekend. Since leaving Washington in 2023, Beal's wife and kids have moved from D.C. to Los Angeles and then, before the start of this season, to Phoenix full time. 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So for the Suns to waive Beal, they would have to get him to agree to give back a consequential portion of his contract — $2.7 million a year over those five years. It adds up to $13.8 million total. Beal could make that money back (or he could possibly add to his income) after hitting the open market. I asked a few executives around the league what they believe Beal could be worth if he were a free agent. The consensus was in the range of the mid-level exception, which starts with a $14.1 million salary in 2025-26. But while certain winning situations or spectacular organizations would appeal to him, according to league sources, he's also not trying to leave his family or upend their lives. It means that once again, the Suns and Beal aren't in a much different situation than they were back when Phoenix was calling around the league in search of a place he'd be willing to go, and that would also be down to absorb his large contract. 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3 hours ago
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OKC Thunder trading No. 24 pick Nique Clifford to Sacramento Kings in 2025 NBA Draft
If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Pricing and availability are subject to change. The Oklahoma City Thunder will trade the 24th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft to the Sacramento Kings. The Thunder selected Colorado State wing Nique Clifford with the 24th pick. The Kings are sending a 2027 first-round pick to the Thunder. That pick is top-16 protected and would become two 2027 second-round picks if it doesn't convey. Advertisement The deal will be finalized later. The Thunder drafted Georgetown center Thomas Sorber 15th overall earlier Wednesday. More: OKC Thunder draft picks: Grades for Thomas Sorber selection in 2025 NBA Draft 2025 NBA Draft first-round results This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Thunder trading No. 24 pick Nique Clifford to Kings in 2025 NBA Draft
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If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Pricing and availability are subject to change. The Oklahoma City Thunder selected two players in the 2025 NBA Draft. OKC first selected Georgetown's Thomas Sorber with the 15th overall pick. He's a 6-foot-10 forward/center who averaged 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and two blocks last season as a freshman. Advertisement OKC then selected Northwestern's Brooks Barnhizer with the 44th pick. He's a 6-6 guard who averaged 17.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists last season as a senior. The two rookies will now join an OKC team that just won its first NBA championship in franchise history. Here's a breakdown of OKC's draftees and initial grades for the selections. Pre-order our new book on Thunder's run to NBA title More: 2025 NBA Draft tracker: Live updates on Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey and all first-round picks First round, No. 15 overall | Thomas Sorber, F/C, Georgetown Sorber should fit right in with the Thunder. Advertisement OKC posted a league-best defensive rating of 105.7 during the regular season. It boasts plenty of elite defenders such as Lu Dort, Jalen Williams and Alex Caruso. Now, it adds another standout disrupter in Sorber. Sorber has great length, which he uses to swat shots and intercept passes. The 6-10 big man averaged two blocks and 1.5 steals last season as a freshman. Sorber is also able to finish around the rim. He can use his strength or his soft touch to score, and his high IQ allows him to make some impressive passes at his size. Sorber has room for improvement when it comes to being more switchable on the perimeter, and his range on offense is a work in progress. He also underwent season-ending foot surgery in February. Advertisement Those concerns prevent me from giving this pick an "A" for now. But Sorber has the potential to develop into a two-way contributor for OKC, which did well to land him outside of the lottery. Grade: B+ More: What to know about OKC Thunder offseason: Draft picks, contracts after winning NBA title Thomas Sorber (center) reacts after being drafted 15th overall by the Thunder the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 25. OKC trades No. 24 pick to Sacramento Kings, who select Colorado State's Nique Clifford The OKC Thunder sent the No. 24 pick to the Sacramento Kings, who selected Colorado State guard Nique Clifford. OKC is reportedly receiving a 2027 first-round pick that originally belonged to the San Antonio Spurs. It's top-16 protected, and it'll become two 2027 second-round picks if it doesn't convey. Advertisement This trade shouldn't come as a surprise. OKC entered the draft as one of the deepest teams in the NBA, and it selected Georgetown big man Thomas Sorber with the No. 15 pick. With limited roster spots, OKC opted to trade for a future pick instead of bringing in another rookie. And, considering the trajectory of a San Antonio team that recently paired De'Aaron Fox with Victor Wembanyama, it's likely to convey. OKC will also be a significantly more expensive team by 2027, so the addition of someone on a rookie deal will be good for the books. This isn't a splashy trade, but it's a necessary one. Grade: A- Second round, No. 44 overall | Brooks Barnhizer, G, Northwestern Barnhizer is going to be a fan favorite. Advertisement The 6-6 guard is a good on-ball defender, and he thrives at getting into passing lanes. He averaged 2.3 steals and 1.1 blocks through 17 games before his senior season was cut short due to a broken foot. Barnhizer is also as tough as they come. He had his two front teeth knocked out twice last season but didn't let that stop him from playing with an incredibly-strong motor. Still, there's work to be done if Barnhizer wants to stick around in the NBA. Even though he'll be able to hold his own defensively, Barnhizer will have to become a more consistent shooter. He only shot 31% from deep throughout his college career. Advertisement It's difficult enough to find minutes on an OKC team with plenty of depth. It'll only be more difficult if Barnhizer isn't able to knock down his shots. Grades: B- Justin Martinez covers sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@ or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder draft picks: Grades for selections in 2025 NBA Draft
