Indiana Pacers guards Buddy Hield and Tyrese Haliburton discuss battle against former team tomorrow
The Indiana Pacers take on the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night. Normally, that would be a standard game as those teams aren't rivals. But this particular game has a ton of intrigue.
Sacramento and Indiana made a massive trade earlier this year. In February, the Pacers sent two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis to the Kings for a package that included Buddy Hield and was headlined by Tyrese Haliburton. It was a direction-changing move for both franchises.
Since the deal, the two teams have played just once. The Kings visited Indianapolis on March 23 of this year, but Sabonis missed the game. That adds many storylines to Wednesday's game. It will be:
- Haliburton's first game played as a visitor in Sacramento. He was drafted by the team in the 2020 NBA Draft.
- Sabonis' first game against the Pacers since being traded last season. He battled the blue and gold as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2016-17, but he hasn't played against the team since his career took off.
- Buddy Hield's first game in Sacramento as a visitor since February of 2017, and his first game back since being dealt.
It will be an emotional game, and there will likely be video tributes for both Haliburton and Hield in the Golden 1 Center. "Of course, I've been there for five-and-a-half years. The bitter taste in my mouth with Sacramento is that I didn't get to be a part of the group to help them get to the playoffs," Hield said of returning to Sacramento. He noted that the team is off to a good start and called the Kings' fanbases passionate.
"Sacramento is where I spent most of my career... it's been home for me for a while, shoutout to the organization," he added.
Haliburton, meanwhile, had visions of sticking with the Kings for much of his career. Then, he was traded. He's playing in Sacramento as a visitor for the first time ever, which could make it an emotional night for the young guard.
"Looking forward to being there, looking forward to seeing people. I'm just looking forward to playing basketball on that day," Haliburton said of the game.
Haliburton will get to go against De'Aaron Fox, his backcourt partner with the Kings. There were questions about how the duo would fit long term, as there were with Sabonis and Pacers center Myles Turner. It will be fascinating to see those players go against each other.
The game tips off at 10 p.m. Eastern Time.
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