Tyrese Haliburton, an Indiana Pacers guard, fell to the floor against the Boston Celtics on January 8. He immediately began grimacing. His left hamstring was ailing him, so his teammates had to carry him off the floor.
The Pacers player has been terrific this season and has already been nominated to the 2024 NBA All-player game, but that was a watershed moment in his career and, maybe, his wallet.
At the time, Haliburton had already missed three games of the 2023-24 season due to injuries. The grade 1 hamstring strain would keep him out for the foreseeable future, causing him to miss even more time. It was a heartbreaking defeat for Haliburton, who had high hopes of making the All-NBA squad this season.
The two-time All-Star was scheduled to be reevaluated for the injury in the following weeks. He then missed 10 of his team’s next 11 games, bringing his total number of missing games this season to 13. Haliburton can’t afford to be gone for much longer if he wants to maximize his new contract extension.
That’s because the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) mandates players to play 65 games to be eligible for certain league awards. “No player shall be eligible for NBA Most Valuable Player, NBA Defensive Player of the Year, NBA Most Improved Player, All-NBA Team (First, Second, or Third), or NBA All-Defensive Team (First or Second) honours (the “Applicable Generally Recognized League Honours”) for a Season unless the player has satisfied at least one of the following criteria (the “Award Eligibility Criteria”) in relation to such Season: (1) the player played in at least sixty-five (65) Regular Season games…” The CBA reads in part. Players must suit up for 20 minutes in a game for it to count as one of their 65 appearances, with two exceptions of 15 minutes.
This season, Haliburton’s inclusion on the All-NBA team has significant implications. If he is named to one of the three All-NBA teams, his five-year contract extension will begin at 30% of the salary cap, which the NBA just revealed to teams is expected to be $141 million next season, according to The Athletic. If Haliburton is not named to the All-NBA team, his contract will begin at 25% of the cap. Both packages would include eight percent raises throughout the first year of the pact.
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