This year’s free agency has been a wild ride for fans since Friday with all kinds surprising moves and staggering contract extensions setting the ground for a hopefully eventful 2023-24 season. The Indiana Pacers offering young guard Tyrese Haliburton a potentially $260,000,000 five-year max rookie extension grabbed the attention of the NBA community early on. Haliburton was drafted 12th overall by the Sacramento Kings in 2020 and then traded to the Pacers last year. The 23-year-old put up a decent showing last season, tallying 20.7 points, 10.4 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 56 games. Therefore, even Shaquille O’Neal, who doesn’t have the best track record for hyping up players getting big money, couldn’t but appreciate the new found abundance of the Pacers star.
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Shaquille O’Neal shocked the world in 1996 with his unprecedented seven-year $120 million move to the Los Angeles Lakers. Most of his peers in the NBA had questioned the move at the time, only to have to eat their own words later on. However, Shaq seems to not be empathetic to players going through a similar predicament as him. In fact, the Diesel ridiculing Rudy Gobert for his $200 million contract has been a running joke on the sets of NBA on TNT.
In addition, Shaq had also admitted his jealousy toward Damian Lillard’s two-year $122,000,000 extension last year. “I’m jealous of Dame Lillard-122 for 2…Congratulations to Dame and his family, but I’m jealous. I’m super jealous. Listen, I don’t usually wish stuff like this but I wish I was playing right now…Because…If this is legal, Imma go 400 for 5,” Shaq said, in an episode of the Big Podcast.
Shaquille O’Neal is happy for Tyrese Haliburton
In a surprising change of heart, Shaq seemed actually happy after hearing about Tyrese Haliburton’s contract. The 2023 NBA All-Star is set to receive $205.9 million in terms of guaranteed salary. However, the amount might extend to $260 million based on certain contingencies, like All-NBA selection. The massive contract is set to kick in from the 2024-25 season and will make Haliburton a Top-30 NBA player in terms of salary.
During a conversation with Mike Epps on Instagram live, Shaq seemed genuinely happy about Haliburton’s contract. The Big Fella said, “What do you think about the young fella from the Pacers getting all that money. He got paid didn’t he!…He got the bag. He bought his mama a new house. That’s what it’s all about.”
Shaq seemed genuinely happy for the young fellow. Epps joined in as well in the appreciation.
Meanwhile, Shaq has been busy this free agency interacting with his Instagram and Twitter followers about all kinds of things. He recently asked them as to which trade has been the best in this free agency. And fans seemed to struggle in actuality considering the variety of trades this year’s offseason has seen.
