Tyrese Haliburton feels ‘completely different’ towards Kings organization compared to fans

Tyrese Haliburton feels ‘completely different’ towards Kings organization compared to fans

The Sacramento Kings trading Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers at the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline in a six-player deal that brought back coveted forward Domantas Sabonis was one of the more shocking developments during that time, especially given the fact that Haliburton’s then-running mate De’Aaron Fox was the main centerpiece involved in the trade rumors.

Fox still remains with the organization, while Haliburton is now perhaps the most valuable cog to a young, but intriguing and budding Pacers squad alongside Buddy Hield, Jalen Smith, Isaiah Jackson and Chris Duarte, among others.

Haliburton was interviewed by Fox 40’s Sean Cunningham, a reporter from the Sacramento area, during an NBA 2k23 Summer League game in Las Vegas this week, catching up with the young guard. It even included a fascinating soundbite about Haliburton’s diverse feelings towards the organization, fans.

Oh, for sure. With the fans, forever,” Haliburton said when asked if he has a connection with the Kings’ fan base. “That’s not a question. I hope people never, ever think that – my feeling towards the organization and the fans are completely different.”

Quote via Sean Cunningham/Twitter

Briefly catching up with Tyrese Haliburton at Las Vegas Summer League, where we chat about his new Indiana Pacers team, moving on from the Kings after February's trade & his love for Sacramento.

"My feeling towards the organization (and) the fans are completely different." pic.twitter.com/hmTm5VR4CJ

— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) July 11, 2022

This isn’t the first time Haliburton, 22, was candid about his feelings towards the trade and what he thought prior to the deadline deal.

In an interview with GQ in March, Haliburton reflected on his mindset and, at the time, thought he was untouchable.

“More than anything, looking back, I got too comfortable. I thought I was untouchable,” he told GQ. “I’d tell my friends that I wasn’t worried about the upcoming deadline. Not the media. Obviously, I tell the media the right things. [laughs] But talking to my friends, I’d tell them I wasn’t worried, I was gonna be good over here, it was the other people who had to be worried. That ultimately led to the demise and shock of being traded.”

Find the full quote here.

From his first interview with the Pacers’ media after getting traded:

“[The Sacramento Kings] aint want me. They went a different direction. It’s a part of the business,” he said. “I put a lot of love, a lot of trust into Sacramento and immersed myself in the community. with the people. They just got rid of me. That’s part of the business. That’s probably my best trait is like somebody who just loves hard. I want to be here. I want to be a part of it. It can be my biggest upside, but it can be a big downfall too.

“It hurt when I got traded.  I loved being there and I loved the people. But coming here, I’m gonna do the same thing.”

Quote via James Boyd/Twitter

I asked Tyrese Haliburton about not having the chance to rebuild with the Kings:

“They ain’t want me. … It’s part of the business.”@jxlorenzi then asked if there’s any difficulty to trust a new franchise:

“It hurt when I got traded. … I’mma put all I got into this.” #Pacers pic.twitter.com/L3TDM0awFA

— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) February 10, 2022

After his trade with Indiana, he averaged 17.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 9.6 assists and 1.8 steals per game, shooting 50.2 percent from the floor, 41.6 percent from 3-point range and 84.9 percent from the free-throw line. For the year, the then-second-year guard averaged 15.3-4-8.2-1.7 on 47.3/41.4/85.2 shooting splits — equating to a 59.5 true-shooting percentage.

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With Malcolm Brogdon getting traded to the Celtics, Haliburton will presumptively have the keys to engine the Pacers’ offense, which ranked in the top-half of the league after the trade and No. 18 overall for the season, per NBA.com.

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