Haliburton will miss the entire 2025-26 season while recovering from surgery on his right Achilles tendon, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
Haliburton tore his right Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals on June 22 and underwent surgery the following day. Any hope of a return during the 2025-26 campaign was shut down Monday, when Pacers president Kevin Pritchard stated plainly, "He will not play next year though. We would not jeopardize that now. So don't get any hopes up that he will play." Haliburton has cemented himself as the face of the franchise and played a key role in Indiana's run to the NBA Finals during the 2024-25 playoffs, averaging 17.3 points, 8.6 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 33.5 minutes across 23 postseason games. During the 2024-25 regular season, the 2020 first-round pick averaged 18.6 points, 9.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals over 73 appearances.
Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton: Set for Achilles surgery Monday
Rotowire
Haliburton will travel to New York City on Monday and is expected to undergo surgery to repair a torn right Achilles tendon, sources tell Grant Afseth of RG.org.
The Pacers labeled the injury that forced Haliburton out in the first quarter of Sunday's 103-91 loss to the Thunder in Game 7 of the NBA Finals as a right lower leg injury, though the point guard's father, John, told ESPN's Lisa Salters during the game broadcast that his son's injury was to his Achilles. Expect Indiana to provide a formal update on Haliburton's status once his surgery is completed, but given that the standard return timelines for Achilles surgeries typically range from 9-to-12 months, the 25-year-old appears in grave danger of missing the entire 2025-26 regular season, and potentially any postseason contests that may follow. Haliburton's injury represents a devastating development for what was an otherwise joyous postseason run for the Pacers, who entered the playoffs as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and reached their first NBA Finals since 2000. With their star floor general headed for a long-term absence, however, the Pacers face the prospect of a non-contending "gap year" in 2025-26 that will force members of the supporting cast into bigger roles. Haliburton's absence could allow shooting guard Andrew Nembhard to see more time on the ball during the upcoming campaign, and like Nembhard, T.J. McConnell is under contract through 2027-28 and could see a notable uptick from the 17.4 minutes per game he averaged during the playoffs.
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