NBA.com Expects Pacers 'To Make Noise' Next Season With Tyrese Haliburton Back

NBA.com's Shaun Powell expects the Indiana Pacers "to make noise" next season. 

After all, Tyrese Haliburton is back after missing last season while recovering from his torn Achilles tendon. 

Additions: F Larry Nance Jr., F Kelly Oubre Jr., G Braden Smith

Subtractions: G Kam Jones, C Micah Potter

"Nonetheless, a team with Haliburton back and Pascal Siakam playing at All-Star level is poised to make noise anyway," Powell wrote. 

The Pacers are widely expected to start Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Siakam and Ivica Zubac next season. That's one of the best starting fives in the NBA on paper. 

Haliburton had an outstanding 2024-25 campaign for the Pacers. He averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 9.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocks per game and made the All-NBA Third Team.

The Pacers made the NBA Finals in 2025. They were one game away from winning it all. They might have defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 had Halliburton not torn his Achilles.

Remember, Indiana was winning when Halliburton got hurt in OKC.

The Pacers and Haliburton will presumably be highly motivated to prove their critics wrong next season, as there are some pundits who believe Indiana won't be a contender and Haliburton won't be the All-Star player he was before getting injured.

Indiana opens the 2026-27 regular season on October 21 against the New Orleans Pelicans. 

Haliburton has career averages of 17.5 points and 8.8 assists per game in the regular season and 17.9 points and 8.4 assists per game in the playoffs. The basketball world can't wait to see Hali play again. We are almost there.

Indiana made a blockbuster trade last season, getting Zubac from the LA Clippers. The Zubac trade came at a high cost, though, as the Pacers lost their first-round pick in the 2026 draft because of the deal. 

The Pacers needed to land in the top four to keep their pick after trading it to the Clippers with protections for Zubac. The trade sent two of Indiana's first-round picks to the Clippers: one in 2029 and either this year's first if it fell outside the top four or a 2031 unprotected first-rounder if it did not.

Because the Washington Wizards moved up in the lottery, Indiana landed fifth, so the pick went to the Clippers instead.

The Pacers could have drafted AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer or Caleb Wilson.

Instead, they have to pray that Zubac plays like an All-Star next season alongside Siakam and Haliburton.