The Indiana Pacers lost Tyrese Haliburton for Game 7 of the NBA Finals and possibly for the entirety of the 2025-26 campaign due to an Achilles injury that he sustained in the first quarter of the biggest game in franchise history.

If Haliburton indeed tore or ruptured his Achilles tendon, it is unlikely he will return until the very end of next season — or perhaps not even until the 2026-27 year gets underway.

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That injury would also mean that Haliburton will join Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics as star players in the Eastern Conference in danger of missing all of next year due to devastating Achilles injuries.

Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton.

© Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The East was already the weaker of the league’s two conferences by a good amount. Now with the best players in Boston and Indiana (the last two conference champions) and the second best player in Milwaukee (the 2021 NBA champions) likely sidelined for the upcoming season, the East is literally wide open.

Teams that might be able to capitalize include the Orlando Magic, who just traded with the Memphis Grizzlies for Desmond Bane, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who earned the No. 1 seed in the East in these playoffs but fell to the Pacers 4-1 in the second round.

As such, speculation has already begun in the wake of Haliburton’s injury about whether Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James might make his way back to Cleveland for one more run at a title in his age-41 campaign.

“Without Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum, the Eastern Conference feels so wide open,” Cleveland media personality Nick Pedone posted to X. “Have to wonder if LeBron James tries to win one more ring with the Cleveland Cavaliers.”

James has one year remaining on his current contract in Los Angeles. However, he has a player option for next season and can enter free agency this summer if he chooses.