Tyrese Haliburton suffers torn right Achilles in Game 7 loss

NBC Sports

5 hours ago

Tyrese Haliburton suffered a torn right Achilles tendon on Sunday night, according to a report from ESPN's Shams Charania.
Breaking: Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton sustained a torn right Achilles tendon in Game 7 against Oklahoma City, sources tell ESPN. Haliburton played through a calf strain in the same leg during the NBA Finals for an opportunity to win a championship. pic.twitter.com/7pr3z2Lubq
The worst case scenario has been confirmed after Haliburton went down during the first quarter of Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Thunder. He got off to a hot start, scoring nine points in the first seven minutes before going down with the injury.
Prior to the game, Haliburton had been dealing with a right calf strain that he suffered in Game 5, which resulted in his name appearing on the injury report ahead of Games 6 and 7. But with a ring on the line, Haliburton played through it.
Things went well in Game 6, with Indiana winning 108-91 while Haliburton only needed to play 23 minutes. Even after Haliburton went down on Sunday, the Pacers, who have been resilient throughout their postseason run, were able to take a lead into halftime and keep things competitive early in the second half before OKC took control late in the third quarter before going on to win 103-91.
There is no official timeline for Haliburton's return at this point, though there should be an update after he undergoes surgery to repair the tendon. However, Haliburton's status for the 2025-26 season is in jeopardy.
The Pacers recently traded away the 23rd pick in the 2025 draft to reacquire their 2026 first-round pick, which means they'll only be able to add help in this draft with the 54th pick, unless they make another move. They can also apply for an injured player exception between July 1 and January 15, which would allow them to sign a free agent for half of Haliburton's salary for next season, giving them roughly $22.75 million to work with.
Indiana will likely turn to Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell to split the point guard duties until Haliburton returns.