Winners, losers from Pacers trade of Sabonis to Kings for Haliburton

This trade was a record scratch around the NBA.

While everyone was trying to digest CJ McCollum getting sent to the Big Easy, news broke of this trade between the Pacers and Kings and everyone froze and went, “what?” Around the NBA, Haliburton was seen as the Kings’ most valuable player going forward, the draft pick they hit, and a better foundational piece than De'Aaron Fox (even if his peaks are not quite as high. But the Kings sent Haliburton out to bring back another big man in Domantas Sabonis. The NBA world struggled to get their heads around it.

Let’s break the trade down, winners and losers style. First, the trade itself.

The Pacers receive: Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Tristan ThompsonThe Kings receive: Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday, 2027 second-round pick

Because they set a direction for the organization.

Indiana gave up the best player in this trade right now — usually a sign a team lost in the deal. Not here. In part because what the Pacers had now was not working (19-37 this season) and they needed to pick a direction.

They did exactly that by getting a highly coveted player in Haliburton who can play off the ball next to Malcolm Brogdon but is also a second-year guard who runs the pick-and-roll like a 12-year vet.

The roster falls into place. Myles Turner is their center now, and once he gets healthy he gives them a top-flight rim protector on defense who will get the more prominent role in the offense he seeks. Turner will run pick-and-rolls/pops with Haliburton and they will be surrounded by shooters: Brogdon, Hield, and Chris Duarte. (Don’t be shocked if the Pacers move one of those guards now at the deadline or this offseason.)

Once TJ Warren returns (there are questions about that