Who won the Tyrese Haliburton–Domantas Sabonis swap? Right now, both teams look like winners, SIChrisMannix writes
NBA executives are not focused on winning trades, however. They prioritize makingteam better. With Indiana set to face the Kings on Wednesday for the first time with both Haliburton and Sabonis on the floor following last February’s blockbuster trade, both teams can make compelling arguments that they have.
The Pacers knew what they were getting in Haliburton, a sturdy, 22-year-old, 6'5" playmaker who had emerged as one of the steals of the 2020 draft class. Haliburton averaged 14.3 points and 7.4 assists in 51 games with Sacramento last season. In the 26 games he played with Indiana in ’21–22, he averaged 17.5 points and 9.6 assists. This year Haliburton has been even more impressive. He’s up to 19.9 points and 11.3 assists.
Sacramento’s decision to trade Haliburton was widely panned; even the casual NBA observer could see this leap coming. The Kings knew what they had in Haliburton, too. But in order to get something—and Sabonissomething—they had to give up something, and Haliburton was the price they had to pay.
Fox and Sabonis do mesh, with Fox currently playing like an All-Star after a lethargic ’21–22 season. "This is the best basketball [De'Aaron has] played in his career," Kings forward said. Sabonis, meanwhile, is producing at a Chris Webber-like level. He has the best net rating of any starter and leads the team in assists . He’s become virtually unguardable at the elbow, ranking first in the league in assists and third in points from that spot on the floor.
It will be years before the Haliburton-Sabonis swap can be fully evaluated. The Kings will need to improve defensively—improve—before they can evolve into a serious contender, and Indiana’s roster right now is fluid to say the least. But Haliburton has the look of a perennial All-Star while Sabonis appears ready to anchor a dynamic offense for years to come.
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