Kelly Oubre Jr. Reveals Tyrese Haliburton's Role in Pacers Decision

Kelly Oubre Jr. signed with the Indiana Pacers in July without having played a game alongside Tyrese Haliburton. In an interview with Cyro Asseo of HoopsHype published Friday, Oubre said Haliburton factored into the decision.

HoopsHype conducted the interview on behalf of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. It ran four days before the Pacers open training camp on Sept. 29.

Oubre's contract runs two years and $17 million, a deal first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania on July 1. Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports reported that it is fully guaranteed, with no option on the second year.

The friendship came off the court first, from workouts and a shared agent, and it made Indiana a no-brainer for Oubre.

"Most definitely. I would be a fool to say it wasn't," Oubre said. "He's the head of the snake over here. And to have a head of the snake with their head on their shoulders is very rare. And I think that kind of played a big factor in it."

"He's very mature, well beyond his years," Oubre continued. "He's very experienced now, and he has some battle scars to show for it. So I think that when he comes back, obviously I'm not expecting him to come back and just be his 100 percent self, but I'm happy to be on his side to help him kind of get there and just give my insights to the game to him as well."

Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon seven minutes into Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Oklahoma City won 103-91 and took the title. He had surgery the next day and missed all of 2025-26.

Indiana won 19 games without him. The 63 losses were a franchise record.

Facial shingles, diagnosed Feb. 22, cost Haliburton time over the winter. On Aug. 12, he said he was ready to play if the season started then. Twelve days later, at the Pacers Foundation Charity Softball Classic, he said he was "chomping at the bit" to return.

General manager Chad Buchanan said Thursday at the Pacers Foundation Invitational that Haliburton would be "one-hundred percent full go" when camp opens, according to Alex Golden of Pacers On SI. Buchanan said there would be "no restrictions right away" and that the medical staff could scale Haliburton back on a given day.

In 2024-25, his last full season, Haliburton averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 9.2 assists in 73 games. He made the All-NBA Third Team. Over 23 playoff games in the run to the Finals, he averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 8.6 assists.

Haliburton reacted to the Oubre agreement on July 1 with a photo of Oubre smiling in a Pacers workout jersey. The photo came from Oubre's pre-draft workout with the Pacers on June 2, 2015. That month, the Atlanta Hawks selected him No. 15 overall and traded him to the Washington Wizards.

Oubre averaged 14.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists for Philadelphia last season, when he shot a career-best 36.0% from 3-point range. He played in 50 games and started 41.

With Haliburton out, Pascal Siakam averaged 24.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists and made his fourth All-Star team. Ivica Zubac, acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers in February, played five games for the Pacers before a season-ending injury.

Pacers media day is Monday. Indiana opens the regular season Oct. 21 at New Orleans and hosts the Dallas Mavericks two nights later.