The Atlanta Hawks are looking to get where the Indiana Pacers are, which would mean at the latter’s expense. But Hawks star Trae Young showed that some things are bigger than basketball, and that was the case with Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton.
Haliburton went down during the second quarter of Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder with a non-contact injury, feared to be a torn Achilles.
“[praying hands emojis] Never wanna see that [sad face emoji],” Young posted on X on June 22.
Tyrese Haliburton went down with an injury in Game 7. pic.twitter.com/AZ1uk65dFg
— ESPN (@espn) June 23, 2025
“Injury Update: Tyrese Haliburton (right lower leg injury) will not return to tonight's game,” the Pacers posted on X with Haliburton in the team’s locker room.
Haliburton’s father confirmed it was an Achille injury, which could put his son in grim company.
“If Haliburton did indeed tear his Achilles, that would be the 8th Achilles tear of the season,” In Street Clothes’ Jeff Stots posted on X on June 22. “The previous high was 5 (14-15). The total doesn't include Thanasis Antetokounmpo who tore his in the offseason or prospect Jalon Moore who was injured in a recent pre-draft workout.”
Hawks can make move in the Eastern Conference standings
The Hawks cannot take this news lightly. They also saw the Boston Celtics (Jayson Tatum) and Milwaukee Bucks (Damian Lillard) lose stars to the same injury.
That means as much uncertainty in the Eastern Conference as there has ever been.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons project as the only top-six teams that will return a healthy group to begin the 2025-26 campaign. The Hawks were 11.0 games behind the Knicks in the standings this past season, but they were just 4.0 games back of the Pistons.
Atlanta was also in the hunt for a top-five seed down the stretch of the regular season, despite injuries and major in-season trades.
This offseason has already brought massive changes, and it could yield even more.
Still, if the Hawks were looking for a sign to show whether or not they need to go for it in an East that was already susceptible, this postseason has certainly been it. Even with the changes coming, the Hawks could boast one of the most stable groups on the court and sidelines.
Whether or not Young remains in Atlanta is a big part of that equation. He dealt with a hand injury that limited him to a career-low 54 games in 2023-24.
The Hawks felt his absence, and Young bounced back with 76 appearances last season.
They have already done the yeoman’s work of clearing up their books, allowing for tremendous activity in an offseason that has already gotten off to an explosive start with firings, trades, and, sadly, injuries.