NBA Rumors: Tyrese Haliburton was recruiter, not recruited on Team USA Basketball

NBA Rumors: Tyrese Haliburton was trying to recruit players from Team USA Basketball to the Indiana Pacers.

Over the years, there's been plenty of value and intrigue surrounding Team USA Basketball. As they won Gold for the fifth straight Olympics, there's one other underlying part of the entire experience that has become a norm. That's the perceived recruiting that takes place behind the scenes. This recruiting on Team USA Basketball is what many believed to have sparked LeBron James' decision to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami back in 2010 - and perhaps countless of other moves that have happened since.

As we prepare for the start of the 2024-25 NBA season, it's only natural to think of the potential recruiting that may have taken place throughout this summer on the Team USA Basketball roster.

At least for now, there is at least some clarity on the recruiting front for one player. According to Tyrese Haliburton himself, he wants to make it clear that he was trying to recruit players to Indiana and doesn't plan on being recruited off the Pacers anytime soon.

Haliburton didn't play much for Team USA but it's clear he was using all the access to some of the best players in the league to state his case for team up with him with the Pacers. Whether or not we'll see any of these players on the Pacers roster in the foreseeable future remains to be seen, but you can't blame Haliburton for the effort - that's part of what playing for Team USA Basketball has become.

The expectations for the Indiana Pacers and Tyrese Haliburton

Recruiting aside, the Pacers and Haliburton will be headed into a season in which they'll have some real expectations. After making a somewhat surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, this is a team that is expected to be even better this year with the return of Bennedict Mathurin and with a full offseason of Pascal Siakam on the roster.

Whether or not that will equate toward another deep playoff run in an improved Eastern Conference remains to be seen. However, it's safe to say the Pacers will factor in the East hierarchy this season.

With all the attention focused on the likes of the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia 76ers after the offseasons they've had, I'd argue that it would be a mistake to overlook the Pacers. This is a team that has the talent and experience to make another run in the East. Can they dethrone the likes of the Celtics in a seven-game series? That seems unlikely, but the Pacers, if they can remain healthy, are going to pose a threat to many other contenders in the conference and across the league.