Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has missed plenty of games in the 2023-24 NBA regular season, putting his chances to trigger a huge bonus in his contract in peril. Because of a new NBA rule, Haliburton needs to play at least 65 games in order to be eligible to be selected into an All-NBA selection, which in turn, will spark a bonus worth $40 million.
Haliburton, however, has played in only 34 of the Pacers' 47 games so far in the regular season due to a nagging hamstring injury.
Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton speaks up on possibly losing $40 million
The Pacers star, who is making his second All-Star Game appearance, is fully aware of the money he could end up missing but expressed that his body is his priority.
“I’m human like you guys. I use the internet as well,” Haliburton said, per James Boyd of The Athletic.
“I completely understand it, and I understand what’s at stake for me financially as well. But at the end of the day, I also gotta take care of my body to the best of my ability and put myself in the right situations. So yeah, I know I don’t have a ton of games left.”
Haliburton, who arrived in Indiana via a trade with the Sacramento Kings in 2022, has been the main driving force of the Pacers' high-powered offense this season. He is leading the team with 23.6 points and 12.6 assists per contest. In July of 2023, Haliburton signed a five-year, r $204.45 million Designated Rookie contract extension with Indiana, which will kick in during the 2024-25 NBA campaign.