Tyrese Haliburton's Achilles injury during Game 7 on Sunday not only put a damper on the Pacers' playoff run, it also changed Indiana's immediate future.
Not only does Pacers management have to figure out how to return to the NBA Finals, they now must try to replace their star and starting point guard for the 2025-26 season.
It's going to be hard to fully replace Haliburton both on and off the court, but Indiana must turn around quickly and find someone who can step in next season and help the team compete for a championship.
Therefore, here's six potential Haliburton replacements for next seasons.
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Pacers’ best replacements for Tyrese Haliburton
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T.J. McConnell
The most likely, and maybe most popular, direct replacement for Haliburton is T.J. McConnell, who has won the hearts of Pacers fans everywhere over the past few years. The 32-year-old was Indiana's best player in Game 7 once Haliburton went down, and has been a clutch and reliable performer in the playoffs since last year.
Over the past two seasons, McConnell has averaged under 20 minutes a game off the bench, so there is room for his minutes to increase next year. His career-high in minutes per game in a season is 26.0, which he produced for Indiana in 2020-21, the year before the Pacers traded for Haliburton.
MORE: How long is Tyrese Haliburton out?
Free agents
Dennis Schroder
Schroder has had a long-and-winding NBA career, playing for nine teams over 12 seasons, including seven since 2021 alone. However, he's still just 31 and has much playoff experience with teams like the Thunder, Lakers and Pistons.
This past season, Detroit added Schroder midseason, and the veteran was a crucial piece to the Pistons' return to the playoffs. He will likely command a multi-year contract in free agency coming up, but might be Indiana's best chance to replace Haliburton during the summer.
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Tyus Jones
Another long-time backup, Jones finally got starting opportunities in the past two seasons with the Wizards and Suns, starting 124 of 147 games he played since 2023. As a result, Jones averaged double-digit points per game for the second and third times in his career, along with career highs in assists per game.
At 29 years old, Jones may also be looking for a multi-year deal, but like Schroder, it could be worth the price. The Duke product, however, only has 27 playoff games under his belt and has made it past the first round just once in his career.
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Malcolm Brogdon
If the Pacers want to turn to a familiar face, then they could look to bring back Brogdon in free agency. The 32-year-old spent three seasons in Indiana before the Pacers traded him to the Celtics in a deal that brought back Aaron Nesmith.
Brogdon has dealt with injuries in his career, but he's been an extremely productive player when healthy, averaging 15.3 points and 4.7 assists in his career. However, he played in a career-low 24 games last year and has missed more games than he's played since 2023.
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Chris Paul
Chris Paul's career is coming to a close, but the future Hall of Famer is still looking for his first NBA championship. If the Pacers are looking for a true one-year replacement, then Paul could come in fill a void both on and off the court.
Last year, Paul played in all 82 games for the Spurs, but averaged a career-low 8.8 points per game. Since Paul just turned 40 last month, he is probably looking for a specific situation for him to extend his career.
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Trade
Lonzo Ball
If the Pacers turn to the trade market to fill the void, then Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball may make the most sense. Ball has just one-year and $10 million left on his contract, with a club option for 2026-27, and stylistically fits the way that Indiana wants to play on offense.
Of course, Ball comes with his own injury issues, as he missed two full seasons with injuries and played in just 35 games last year. Of all the replacements, though, the 27-year-old Ball has the best combination of youth and experience.
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Pacers draft picks 2025
Due to a recent trade with the Pelicans, the Pacers do not own their first-round pick this year, instead getting their first-rounder in 2026 back from New Orleans.
As a result, the Pacers only have one pick entering this year's draft, a second-rounder at No. 54.