‘Crying my eyes out’: Tyrese Haliburton shares emotional reaction to Kings-Pacers trade
The first two calls came from his agent. The third was from Kings general manager Monte McNair.
“When I saw that name pop up on my phone, my heart sank,” Tyrese Haliburton said. “I knew it was over right then.”
Haliburton penned a piece for The Players’ Tribune on Monday revealing his heartbreaking reaction when he learned the Kings had traded him to the Indiana Pacers. The 21-year-old guard said he cried uncontrollably after getting that call from McNair.
“It was a quick conversation,” Haliburton recalled. “Pretty straightforward.”
According to Haliburton, McNair said: “Hey, man, I just wanted to let you know we made a trade, and we’re going to be sending you to Indiana. I wish you the best.”
Haliburton said there were “maybe a couple more words after that” and they both thanked each other.
“Then I hung up, set my phone down, and started crying my eyes out,” Haliburton said.
It wasn’t long before the first reports surfaced confirming the Kings had traded Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson to the Pacers in exchange for two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb. The news sent shockwaves through the NBA with many questioning the Kings for trading a talented second-year player who was a Rookie of the Year finalist in 2021 after coming out of Iowa State as the No. 12 pick in the draft.
Over a span of 30 minutes, Haliburton went from believing he would have a long future in Sacramento to the stunning realization that he had been traded.
“I know this might sound like I’m being dramatic, but you know when you get the news that something bad has happened to a family member or a close friend? And it feels like for a few seconds your heart almost stops? Like there’s just a hollow feeling all through your body?” Haliburton wrote. “That’s kind of what it was like.”
Haliburton sent a text telling teammates he had been traded and he loved them. He then received a series of calls from the likes of Davion Mitchell, Hield, Harrison Barnes, De’Aaron Fox, Chimezie Metu, assistant coach Rico Hines, interim coach Alvin Gentry and former coach Luke Walton. Several coaches, teammates and other members of the Kings organization showed up at his door and spent the evening with him.
Haliburton said “all that support meant a lot,” but “it felt like something I cared about was ending way too soon.”
Haliburton, who repeatedly vowed to change the Kings’ losing culture, said he wanted to help bring winning basketball back to Sacramento the way Chris Webber did a generation ago.
“I really, really, really was all in on Sacramento,” Haliburton said. “And I wasn’t shy about it. I would tell people, straight up, ‘I want to be that next C-Webb for this city.’ That was my whole mindset. I wanted to become one of those players who got drafted somewhere and built a legacy — on and off the court. I wanted to become someone the people of Sacramento knew was in their corner.”
Haliburton said he will miss Sacramento and the relationships he formed, but he is looking forward to his future with the Pacers.
“I know I have to face the reality that I’m moving on,” Haliburton said. “And even though I’m sad about leaving a team and city I love, I’m also excited for what comes next.”
This story was originally published February 14, 2022 at 12:32 PM.
