Indiana Pacers

In the same city where Reggie Miller became one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield broke one of his NBA records on Thursday night.

Hield made a three-pointer three seconds into the Pacers' game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He caught the opening tipoff right in front of the three-point line and in one motion fired up a shot that hit nothing but net.

Buddy Hield wasted no time 😂 https://t.co/8dV5OJlbYE

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 30, 2022

Per ESPN Stats & Info, Hield's shot three seconds into the game broke the previous mark of four seconds set by Miller on March 5, 2000.

The record has been tracked since the play-by-play era began with the 1996-97 season.

Miller's record-setting moment came in an otherwise forgettable game by his standards. The Pacers' legend scored 15 points on 4-of-14 shooting in a 114-95 win over the Golden State Warriors.

Hield had one of his most efficient games of the season on Thursday. He scored 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting and made five of his six attempts from behind the arc.

The Pacers put together a fantastic performance, particularly in the second half, in their 135-126 win over the Cavs. They scored 71 points after halftime to earn their fourth victory in the past five games.

Indiana has been a pleasant surprise so far this season with a 19-17 record. It moved into sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings after beating the Cavaliers.

Wally Szczerbiak did not hold back when it came to Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton.

Haliburton missed a potential go-ahead jumper in the final seconds of Sunday's 109-106 loss to the New York Knicks. Szczerbiak, who works for the Knicks' television broadcasts, called Haliburton "mister supposed wannabe fake All-Star" before suggesting New York players are more deserving of making this season's All-Star Game (h/t Basket News).

"He's a very good player; he's not going to make the All-Star team," he said. "Guys like Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson will make it over Tyrese Haliburton, and tonight we saw why."

Haliburton finished with a double-double of 15 points and 10 assists, although he was just 5-of-16 from the field.

Still, he is very much in All-Star contention with averages of 19.5 points, a league-leading 10.7 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals for a Pacers team that is in position to make the play-in tournament at 15-16.

The 22-year-old has not achieved that honor yet but could be in line to make far more All-Star Games during his career than the one that Szczerbiak did during a 10-season career that included stints with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Two of the NBA's most talked about trade candidates for the past several years are back in the news.

Per Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer, the Indiana Pacers are considered a "team to keep an eye on" if the Atlanta Hawks decide to move John Collins.

Fischer also noted the Pacers are suggesting to opposing teams they are "open" to extension talks with Myles Turner.

The two moves wouldn't necessarily be connected to each other. Fischer noted the Pacers are telling inquiring teams they are looking for a power forward who can play with Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin.

Collins would also be attractive to a team like Indiana because of his contract. The 25-year-old is signed through the 2024-25 season with a player option for 2025-26. He will make $51.92 million in the next two seasons combined after the 2022-23 campaign.

Turner, on the other hand, is in the final season of his deal, and his performance this season could be pricing him out of the Pacers' comfort zone. The eight-year veteran is averaging a career-high 17.6 points per game and is shooting 43.2 percent from three-point range.

Pacers governor Herb Simon has historically been very risk-averse. ESPN's Brian Windhorst said during the offseason Simon was reluctant to give an offer sheet to Deandre Ayton because he "doesn't like hurting his partners—his fellow owners."

Ayton did sign a four-year, $133 million offer sheet with the Pacers that the Phoenix Suns wound up matching to retain the 24-year-old center.

According to Fischer, some rival executives believe the Pacers are saying they are open to extension talks with Turner in an attempt to get opposing teams to increase their trade offers.

Collins and Turner have seemingly been on the trade block for as long they have been in the NBA. Turner said on The Woj Pod that the Los Angeles Lakers should take a "hard look" at trading for him.

The Pacers are playing well enough right now that it could be hard for them to justify moving Turner if they want to make the playoffs. They are currently seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 15-14 record.

The Hawks are only one game behind the Pacers, but there have been some cracks in the foundation. Trae Young and coach Nate McMillan had a public spat over Young not attending a game against the Denver Nuggets that he wasn't going to play in due to a shoulder injury.

If the Hawks decide this version of their roster isn't working, it could mean that Collins finally gets traded after years of speculation about his future.

After taking in WWE SmackDown live in Indianapolis on Friday night, Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton expressed his desire to step inside the squared circle one day.

In an interview with WWE's Kayla Braxton, Haliburton divulged that he had a discussion with WWE head of creative Triple H about possibly wrestling one day (beginning at the 1:20 mark):

"I told Triple H I just need one bump, just one bump," Haliburton said. "I don't know when it's gonna be, but maybe it's far away from now, but just one. That's all I need."

WWE has a rich history of celebrities and athletes from other sports getting inside the ring, and many of them have been successful.

Legendary New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor competed in the main event of WrestleMania 11, Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal wrestled on a couple of occasions, and many stars from combat sports have had matches in WWE as well.

At this year's WrestleMania 38, social media megastar Logan Paul and Jackass star Johnny Knoxville both had matches, and Paul subsequently signed a contract with WWE and had a remarkable match against undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel last weekend.

All of that suggests the door could be open for Haliburton at some point, and he would likely be put in a position to succeed as well.

The 22-year-old Haliburton was the No. 12 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings, and he was traded to the Pacers last season.

Haliburton is off to a hot start this season with averages of 21.6 points, 9.9 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 3.1 three-pointers made and 1.8 steals per game, and he may be trending toward his first career All-Star nod.

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Bennedict Mathurin wants to clear something up.

While some NBA fans may have been introduced to the Indiana Pacers rookie when he was attempting to guard James Harden in the fourth quarter of a game against the Philadelphia 76ers and fell to the ground as the 10-time All-Star unleashed a move and hit a three, it wasn't the ankle-breaker it appeared to be on the broadcast.

"My welcome-to-the-NBA moment—well it was not even really a welcome-to-the-NBA moment—but it was when me and James Harden had the little thing where he stepped on my foot and everybody thought it was an ankle-breaker," he told Bleacher Report.

Mathurin has since proved he is ready to hold his own against some of the league's best and has already faced Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets, Harden and Joel Embiid of the 76ers, Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards, and DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls.

The No. 6 pick of the 2022 draft has quickly surpassed elevated expectations through his first eight games with averages of 20.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

He is shooting 42.9 percent from deep, is aggressive when seeking out his shot, attacks the basket with an explosive first step, makes plays in transition and can take advantage of the spacing on the outside when defenders collapse on Tyrese Haliburton and other Pacers.

"The biggest change I'd probably say is spacing," Mathurin said when asked about the adjustment from the college game to the NBA. "The spacing is way different. Guys are also bigger and stronger with a lot more spacing. The game is also faster."

While he was a Pac-12 Player of the Year and consensus All-American during his collegiate career at Arizona, he said the faster, more space-oriented game in the NBA "for sure" suits his style of play better.

That was fairly clear when he dropped 32 points behind six made three-pointers in a win over the Nets. The rookie already has more than 25 points in three of his eight games and has been an absolute game-changer off the bench for Indiana.

He's an early Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year candidate, but it is the behind-the-scenes work that has propelled him to this level this fast.

Mathurin said the biggest key to his success is "just being consistent. I watch a lot of film, so I know how the defense is going to play me, and I just try to take advantage of it. I'm just staying confident and knowing what to do at the right time."

Confidence was not an issue even before his career started.

The guard turned heads in June when he said LeBron James is "going to have to show me he's better than me" in comments that made waves but were more about confidence in himself rather than a knock of one of the greatest players of all time.

"I won't say it out loud because last time I did it ended up all over social media," he said with a laugh when asked who he is most looking forward to playing as his rookie season continues. "But LeBron James, Damian Lillard and Paul George."

A career of facing players like James in the NBA isn't the only new path he is taking this year.

He partnered with Call of Duty off the court and sees the game as a learning process as well.

"I love it," the Arizona product said. "I'm not a big gamer, to be honest, but I feel like I'm starting. All my friends told me this is a good place to start. I tried to play, but it was pretty hard. Everyone is good at it already. But I'm about to start a new gaming career."

Again, though, confidence is not an issue since he said he is "probably" going to win if there was a tournament featuring all the Pacers playing the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II game that recently launched.

While some of the Pacers may have difficulty defeating Mathurin in Call of Duty, the future is bright for the team on the court.

Indiana isn't a realistic contender this season and may end up trading big man Myles Turner, who has openly discussed the possibility of being moved to the Los Angeles Lakers. But there has been plenty of reason for optimism amid a 3-5 start.

Mathurin looks like the real deal at 20 years old, and Haliburton is a star in the making at 22 as a scorer and facilitator who can control the game and threaten for a double-double every time he steps on the floor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhjg0kHdxwE

There are also some solid role players in place with 29-year-old Buddy Hield, 22-year-old Jalen Smith and 25-year-old Chris Duarte, plus the potential for solid draft capital as the youngsters learn to play with Haliburton as the franchise cornerstone.

"It's great," Mathurin said of playing alongside the primary ball-handler. "He likes to pass the ball, he's really unselfish and he's a really good team player. He's looking forward to winning a lot of games, just like me. I really love playing with him."

That is surely music to the ears of Pacers fans looking ahead to that bright future.

Wherever Myles Turner ends up playing at the end of this season, signing him to a long-term contract is expected to cost a team a lot of money.

Per HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, there is a belief around the NBA that Turner is seeking at least $20 million per season on his next contract.

Turner has spent his entire career with the Indiana Pacers, though his name seems to pop up in trade rumors at least once every year.

The 26-year-old is at the center of early-season trade rumblings because of previous rumors connecting him to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Shams Charania, Sam Amick and Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported last month the Pacers and Lakers had multiple talks during the offseason about a deal involving Russell Westbrook.

Multiple iterations of the trade were proposed, including some with one of Turner and Buddy Hield and others with both going to L.A. No deal was agreed upon at that time, but the teams could re-engage in talks before the Feb. 9 trade deadline.

Appearing on The Woj Pod with ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski this week, Turner even said the Lakers should "take a hard look" at making a move for him.

Should the Lakers give up the two picks? Full audio of Pacers center Myles Turner on The Woj Pod: https://t.co/yP00bwvnMZ pic.twitter.com/GZvSg9BLyp

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 31, 2022

It seems unlikely the Pacers will keep Turner beyond this season, even if they don't trade him. They tried to add another center over the summer when they signed Deandre Ayton to a four-year, $131 million offer sheet, but he went back to the Phoenix Suns when they chose to match it.

The Pacers are still rebuilding and may look to bring in more long-term assets. Turner and Hield are the best trade chips they have on the roster right now.

Turner is known for his defensive prowess in the paint. He has averaged at least two blocks per game in each of the last four seasons, including leading the league in 2018-19 (2.7) and 2020-21 (3.4).

While not an imposing offensive player, Turner has made himself into a positive with the ball. He has averaged at least 12 points per game in each of the previous seven seasons and is a career 34.8 percent three-point shooter.

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton was initially frustrated and upset the Sacramento Kings traded him last February, but he now says that the move is "probably one of the best things that could happen for my career."

Haliburton made the remarks on SiriusXM NBA Radio:

“Looking back…it’s probably one of the best things that could happen for my career”

Tyrese Haliburton breaks down his original frustrations of getting traded by the Kings last year.@Pacers | #PacersTwitter pic.twitter.com/N1OLmDhMMl

— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) October 23, 2022

The Pacers acquired Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson for Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and a 2023 second-round draft pick.

Parting ways with Haliburton was a surprising move for the Kings, who selected the ex-Iowa State star with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2020 draft. Haliburton excelled for Sacramento when given the chance, averaging 13.6 points and 6.3 assists in 109 career games. He had just posted a 17-assist game before the trade as well.

After the move, he wrote an article for the Players' Tribune, saying he was blindsided by the trade and that he cried his "eyes out" when he learned about it.

But the trade to Indiana has given Haliburton the opportunity to realize his full potential. He is averaging 25.7 points on 50.0 percent shooting (41.2 percent from three-point range), 9.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game through three matchups.

It's early, but the 22-year-old looks like an All-Star right now. He'll look to keep the good vibes rolling when Indiana visits the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers engaged in trade talks this week, but Indiana's asking price of two unprotected first-round picks was too high.

Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic reported that news during an appearance on Bally Sports on Wednesday.

https://twitter.com/TheRally/status/1572699575093460993

Charania mentioned Indiana center Myles Turner and guard Buddy Hield, who have routinely been mentioned in Lakers-Pacers trade talks, speculation and rumors. He notably said the Lakers weren't willing to part with two unprotected first-rounders for the duo.

Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said on the Kevin & Query show (h/t Scott Horner of the Indianapolis Star) that Indiana expects to start the season with Turner, who averaged 12.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game last year before suffering a season-ending stress reaction in his left foot that capped his season at 42 games.

Hield averaged 18.2 points on 44.7 percent shooting in 26 games for the Pacers last year after being traded from the Sacramento Kings.

The Lakers have been involved in a litany of trade talks this offseason, with point guard Russell Westbrook notably connected in potential deals involving Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving.

The Pacers talks went nowhere as well, so the Lakers' moves this year revolved around changing the supporting cast around the Big Three of Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Notable additions include Patrick Beverley, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Thomas Bryant, Lonnie Walker IV and Troy Brown Jr. Former superstars and veterans Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony are gone, as are Kent Bazemore, Talen Horton-Tucker and others.

L.A. is only two years removed from an NBA title, but the Lakers fell flat last year en route to a 33-49 record and 11th-place finish in the Western Conference.

The Lakers are set to start the year with a road matchup against the defending champion Golden State Warriors on Oct. 18.

The Indiana Pacers don't intend to trade center Myles Turner prior to the 2022-23 NBA season tips off.

Pacers GM Chad Buchanan said Wednesday on 107.5 The Fan in Indianapolis (via Evan Sidery of BasketballNews.com) that Turner will be the team's starting center on opening night.

The Athletic's Jovan Buha and Sam Amick reported on Sept. 16 the 6'11" big man had been a trade target for the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason.

Although Turner is set to start the upcoming year in Indiana, whether he finishes it with the Pacers is another matter.

The franchise hasn't torn its roster down to the studs, but trading Caris LeVert and Domantas Sabonis ahead of last season's deadline pointed toward a shift in priorities. The front office is building toward the future with Tyrese Haliburton as the focal point.

Because of that, Turner is a natural candidate to go between now and the 2023 trade deadline before even factoring in his contract situation. He's on an expiring deal, so he could be out the door next summer anyway.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported in June the Pacers were "hopeful about Turner's long-term prospects in Indiana" but that the two-time block champion "might seek to play out the final season of his contract."

When it comes to Turner's future, you can make strong cases for trading the 26-year-old or attempting to re-sign him to a multiyear extension. He's a proven rim protector (2.3 blocks per game over his career) who has expanded his offensive repertoire. His 61.5 percent true shooting rate in 2021-22 was a personal best, per Basketball Reference.

Turner is an attractive asset for contenders, so he could presumably net a nice haul despite his expiring contract. The Pacers could simply keep him, though, to serve as a veteran leader for a young squad and a potent pick-and-roll partner with Haliburton.

Based on Buchanan's comment, it appears Indiana at least wants to see what it has with Turner and Haliburton together after they were unable to share the floor last year.