The New Orleans Pelicans had a little bit of shade thrown on them by the first opponent of the regular season.
The NBA released the schedule for the 2026/2027 season on Thursday, and one of the bigger current stars seemingly took exception to the fact that his return from injury will be against the New Orleans Pelicans.
During an appearance on the "Numbers On The Board" podcast, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton spoke with clear frustration that his return from his torn Achilles will be on the road against the Pelicans. There is a feeling of disrespect behind his statement.
"Name any other person that you compare to my level of basketball player. Wherever you have me ranked, if they tore their Achilles and missed 16 months, do you think that game would be on national television? Yeah, you probably think so? Do you think that game would be at home if not on national television? Do you think that game would be at New Orleans? When I saw the schedule, I was like, oh wow. Not to... shoutout my boy Trey Murphy, love New Orleans, but I was shocked to see that. But we move on."
While he does seem to mostly have contempt for the fact that the game is off national television, and on the road against anybody, it would be impossible for anyone on New Orleans' roster to see that clip and not feel like there was a shot taken.
Haliburton clearly wanted to be put on a higher pedestal by the league. He was a star of the Pacers as they battled with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 Finals. At that time, he was one of the sport's biggest names. He did just miss this entire last season, though, so he has some work to reclaim some of that stardom.
At the same time, the Pacers were one of the worst teams in the NBA last season. They went 19-63; only the Brooklyn Nets had fewer wins. That one Finals run that they made in 2025 was great; they were good the year before as well, but this isn't a team that is established as one of the best in the NBA.
With how fast the storylines move in this league, the priorities change fast. There are only so many primetime slots that they can hand out at the beginning of the season. On the night of this game, ESPN is broadcasting the Minnesota Timberwolves against the Miami Heat. That is Giannis Antetokounmpo's first game with the Heat, at home, against Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball. There is no world in which Haliburton's return takes precedence, even if he is a great player.
Indiana has six primetime games scheduled for this season across ESPN, Prime Video and NBC. While that is better than the Pelicans, who have two, it clearly shows that the Pacers are going to need to win back some of that respect from NBA broadcasting. For now, they will kick off next season in New Orleans on the night of October 21.
