After missing all of last season with an Achilles tear that he suffered in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is surprised that his expected return to the court won’t be in a higher-profile setting, relays Scott Horner of The Indianapolis Star. Indiana will open the 2026/27 season at New Orleans in a game that will have only local TV coverage.

“Name any other person you compare to my level of a basketball player,” Haliburton said on the Numbers on the Board podcast (YouTube link). “If they tore their Achilles and missed 16 months, do you think they’d be on national television? Do you think that game would be at home, if not on national television? “When I saw the schedule, I said, ‘Oh, wow!’ I was shocked, but we move on.”

The Pacers’ 19-63 record last season and a relatively quiet summer probably contributed to the lack of national focus on their opener, even with Haliburton’s return as a major story. Indiana’s first appearance on national television will take place October 28 when it hosts Philadelphia.

There’s more from the Central Division:

• Pistons star Cade Cunningham is objecting to a report from July stating that he was “very involved” in trying to recruit several prominent players to Detroit, relays Pistons Talk (Twitter video link). “I don’t know where that report came from,” Cunningham said. “I never told anybody that I talked to XYZ. I wouldn’t say that report was all the way true either. I don’t get into all the tinkering. I just kind of let our staff do their job.” 
• Rookie guard Meleek Thomas‘ outstanding performance during Summer League may have played a role in the Cavaliers‘ decision to trade Dennis Schröder to Charlotte, Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com suggests in a subscriber-only piece. Thomas was a shooting guard in college, but he was given the freedom to run the offense in Las Vegas and responded by averaging 27 PPG in four games while shooting 43% from beyond the arc. With Thomas looking ready to contribute right away, that lessened the need to keep Schröder’s $14.8MM salary.
• The Bucks‘ schedule will be highlighted by Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s return to Milwaukee as a member of the Heat on January 28 and March 12, per Jim Owczarski of The Journal-Sentinel (subscription required). The January game will be one of just two national TV appearances for the Bucks this season.