Management urged Tyrese Haliburton to buy a home shortly before blindsiding him with a blockbuster trade, shattering the young star's trust despite promises of a long-term future.
Tyrese Haliburton believed he would spend the first several seasons of his career in Sacramento; the front office hinted at that until it went back on its word after his rookie year.
Haliburton revealed on the "Numbers on Board" podcast that the Sacramento Kings management suggested he should buy a home.
"They were telling me after my rookie year, 'Hey man, you're going to be here for a while, you should look into buying a house,'" Haliburton said. "I was like, 'I'm good, I'm good, I don't got to worry about nothin'."
They sold him on long-term commitment. Sacramento drafted him 12th overall in the 2020 draft to form a formidable backcourt with De'Aaron Fox.
Haliburton finished third in Rookie of the Year votes and made the All-Rookie First Team. He averaged 13 points, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals and was a 40.9% three-point shooter that season.
The Kings had their backcourt of the future. They locked up Fox on a five-year, $163 million contract extension, and Haliburton was starting his rookie deal.
Somehow, that calculus changed in the 2021-2022 season despite his improvement.
He recorded a then-career-high 38 points against the Philadelphia 76ers and then-career-high 17 assists against the Oklahoma City Thunder before the trade deadline.
Sacramento was searching for a center, and the Indiana Pacers had a talented offensive hub in Domantas Sabonis. Haliburton was blindsided by the blockbuster trade sending him to Indiana for Sabonis.
The front office hinting at a long-term commitment, then trading him left a sour taste in his mouth. He revealed management tried to soothe things over, but he felt there wasn't anything to talk about.
The blockbuster trade altered history for both franchises.
Sacramento went on to break a 16-year playoff drought in the 2022-23 season as the No. 3 seed. Passionate fans filled the Golden 1 Center and rang cowbells in the first round against the Golden State Warriors.
Fox battled through a finger injury in an attempt to will his team to a series victory. He helped force a Game 7 but couldn't overcome Stephen Curry's 50-point performance.
Indiana took the opportunity to build a team around Haliburton, trading for Pascal Siakam in 2024. Like the Kings, the Pacers found success one season later, going to the finals against the Thunder.
The series went to a Game 7, and Haliburton came out scorching. He hit three 3s in the first several minutes. Momentum was on Indiana's side until he tore his Achilles.
While Haliburton rose to the grandest stage in the NBA, Sacramento fell to the basement floor. Fox was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in the same year Indiana advanced to the finals, and the team finished tied for the fourth-worst record last season.
