Tyrese Haliburton put on a show in the semifinals of the In-Season Tournament against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. While his heroics were being discussed on NBA Tip-Off during the collab between TNT and ESPN, Charles Barkley took a shot at James Harden.
“I was talking to (Adrian Wojnarowski),” Barkley said. “Woj said Haliburton is playing so good James Harden wanted to be traded to Indiana.”
https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1732939299597791677
In case it wasn’t clear, NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski obviously did not say anything of that sort. This was just Barkley roasting Harden, who has put in three trade requests in recent times, in seek of greener pastures.
I wouldn’t blame any star for wanting to play with Haliburton, though, considering what we have seen from him this season. Against the Bucks, he had 27 points, 7 rebounds, 15 assists, and 1 block, as he led the Indiana Pacers to a 128-119 win. They will face the Los Angeles Lakers in the final next, and the 23-year-old would want to make another statement there.
Tyrese Haliburton Is Recruiting Players To Indiana
Haliburton has averaged 26.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 12.1 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game this season while shooting 52.5% from the field and 44.1% from beyond the arc. Those are ridiculous numbers, but despite that, the team is still nowhere near good enough to contend for a title as they sport a 12-8 record.
Haliburton had previously stated he was tired of being a loser, having never made the playoffs, and the Pacers need to surround him with better pieces. He knows that as well, and Haliburton is recruiting other stars to join him on the Pacers.
“Haliburton said to me, ‘I’m gonna get you shots, I’m gonna make life easy for you and we are going to win’ and that is really Haliburton’s mission right now,” said Woj. “He wants to use this tournament, this season, to start making the case to star players around the league: come play with me in Indiana.”
He certainly will do all the things he mentioned there and it would be an ideal situation for many stars around the league to play next to Haliburton. Still, though, Indiana has never been a destination for free agents, so it is going to be tough to get someone to go there.
A trade might well be what they need to do and Harden certainly won’t be someone they target. He is actually the type of star that wouldn’t fit alongside Haliburton, as Harden needs the ball in his hands most of the time to be effective. It was one of the reasons why many felt the Clippers made a mistake trading him, considering the roster they have.
James Harden And The Clippers
As for Harden, he is starting to play better after a rough start. The Clippers were 0-5 with him in the lineup at one point, but the wins are starting to come with greater regularity now.
L.A. has won three of their last four games, with Harden averaging 21.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 2.5 steals while shooting 52.9% from the field and 50.0% from beyond the arc. Things are not perfect just yet, but the situation is certainly improving with time, which was to be expected.
Russell Westbrook’s request to come off the bench has certainly been a big boost for the Clippers, as it was probably never going to work with him and Harden starting.
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