The NBA’s trade deadline day was a wild one. But perhaps the most surprising trade occurred almost two full days ago when the Kings sent Tyrese Haliburton to Indiana.
A reporter asked Haliburton about his reaction to the trade after Thursday’s Pacers practice. He had a vague response.
“They didn’t want me. They went a different direction and it’s part of the business,” Haliburton said. “It happens I’m just excited to be here, excited to get going.”
When pressed again on the issue, Haliburton revealed he was hurt by Sacramento’s front office.
“It’s scary. I put a lot of love, a lot of trust in Sacramento and kind of immersed myself in the community and with the people and they just got rid of me,” said Haliburton. “… It hurt when I got traded because I loved being there and I love the people, but coming here I’m gonna do the same thing.”
Take a look.
The good news is he’ll be loved by the Indiana Pacers.
Tyrese Haliburton has become a star this season. He’s averaging 14.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He’ll stuff the stat sheet and play until the final whistle. Indiana got a good one.
The Kings obviously didn’t mean to offend Haliburton by trading him. But it was a head-scratching move by a head-scratching organization.