Tyrese Haliburton has already given the Sacramento Kings and their fans plenty of reasons to revisit and, perhaps, lament the trade that sent him to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for franchise cornerstone Domantas Sabonis. From consecutive conference finals appearances to game-winners to multiple All-NBA selections, the 25-year-old is teaching a masterclass on seller's remorse.
That's not going to change, it seems, anytime soon. And for the time being, it's about to get worse. The folks over at StatMuse posted a truly bonkers stat that shows Haliburton has already enjoyed more playoff success in Indiana over the past two years than the entire Kings franchise has experienced for the last two decades:
This is what we call a big yikes, folks. And it is yet another reason to declare Sacramento losers of the 2022 blockbuster deal that took everyone by surprise.
Or is it?
The Tyrese Haliburton trade is a big "What if?" moment for the Kings?
Haliburton has without question become better than the Kings ever could have envisioned. Not only did he just snag his second All-NBA selection, but he's now averaged over 18 points and nine assists with fewer than three turnovers per game three times. That's only ever been done by two other players: Gary Payton and Chris Paul.
So, yeah, the trade stings. But it has little to do with the return.
Sabonis has an All-NBA selection under his belt as well—and arguably should've landed another one this past season. This was the second time he cleared 15 points and five assists per game with a true shooting percentage over 65. The only players in league history to have as many of these seasons? That would be Stephen Curry (four times) and Nikola Jokic (three times).
Comparing the Kings' team success versus the Pacers' recent run of title contention also rings a little hollow. Indiana has the luxury of playing in the Eastern Conference, which remains noticeably weaker.
This isn't to excuse the Kings missing the playoffs these past two years. That is absolutely a failure. But it's a letdown that should be blamed on owner Vivek Ranadive more than anyone else, with the previous front office regime led by Monte McNair coming in as a semi-close second.
Sacramento never would have gotten THIS version of Haliburton
Haliburton's success in Indiana is no doubt a sign the Kings didn't know what they had in him. At the same time, he never would have blossomed into THIS while in Sacramento.
Reaching an All-NBA, best-player-on-a-title-hopeful level required agency the Kings were never going to give him with De'Aaron Fox already on the roster. Sure, Haliburton can play off the ball. But he has morphed into a superstar by having total control of the Pacers' offense. Sacramento showed no sign of giving him that opportunity.
This was clearly the wrong call in hindsight. Except, even that's mostly because Fox is no longer on the Kings. His future in Sacramento wasn't in doubt three-plus years ago. Had any front office been forced to choose between him or Haliburton at the time, most of them would have rolled with Fox, too.
Now, whether most front offices would have even considered this an either-or situation is a separate matter. Higher-functioning organizations would have found a way to make the Fox-Haliburton dynamic work.
Regardless, Haliburton's individual and team accolades in Indiana are more about circumstance and opportunity. Keeping him would not have guaranteed Sacramento the same level of playoff success. In fact, we can be almost 100 percent certain this team would not have sniffed the Western Conference Finals by keeping him.
Whether Kings fans should find that comforting is up to them.