Brooklyn Nets forward Trendon Watford found himself in the middle of a wild moment during the team’s March 23 loss to the Indiana Pacers. As the game wound down, emotions soared. Watford became the focal point of a fiery clash. Myles Turner stepped in, someone shoved Jordi Fernandez into the second row, and officials scrambled to restore order. And now it looks like Tyrese Haliburton may have fueled the fire.
At the 4:48 mark, after the Pacers hit a bucket, Watford and Andrew Nembhard got into a heated moment. Watford escalated things with a forearm to Nembhard’s chest, prompting Turner to step in and shove him. Officials quickly stepped in, assessing two technical fouls on Watford and ejecting him. Both Turner and Nembhard received technicals for their involvement.
Turns out, the tension had been building long before the dust-up. A leaked audio clip from the same game exposed an intense back-and-forth between Watford and Pacers star Haliburton.
Haliburton took a shot at Watford’s career, saying, “You don’t even know what the playoffs look like.” Watford fired back, “You just found out last year… I’m getting doubled and I’m undrafted.” Haliburton’s response? “For a reason [undrafted].”
LEAKED Audio Of Tyrese Haliburton Trash Talking Trendon Watford:
Hali: “You don’t even know what the playoffs look like”
Watford: “You just find out last year… I’m getting doubled and I’m undrafted”
Hali: “For a reason [undrafted]”
Watford: “You’re having a down year” pic.twitter.com/49qD7lgGaQ
— LegendZ (@legendz_nba) March 24, 2025
For Haliburton, who’s been battling injuries and struggling with consistency post-All-Star break, that final line had to sting. But instead of responding with more words, Watford seemed to let the frustration spill over into his actions on the court. That trash talk exchange wasn’t just another back-and-forth—it was fuel to the fire that exploded late in the fourth.
The NBA didn’t let the scuffle slide, but they stopped short of handing out suspensions. Instead, the league came down with fines—$35,000 each for Watford and Turner for making things worse, while Nembhard got a $20,000 hit for setting it all off. No one got banned, but their wallets definitely felt the consequences.
The fines might sting, but the Pacers have bigger decisions to make beyond that heated moment. One of them? Bennedict Mathurin’s future in Indiana.
With Tyrese Haliburton dealing with frequent injuries, should the Pacers keep Mathurin?
Heading into the season, Bennedict Mathurin’s future with the Pacers felt uncertain. Indiana made the Eastern Conference Finals without him last year, and there were questions about how he fit into their long-term plans. His talent was obvious, but his playstyle didn’t seamlessly align with the team’s system. Now, with Turner’s free agency looming and Mathurin eligible for a rookie extension, the Pacers have some big financial decisions ahead.
Despite the uncertainty, Rick Carlisle’s recent comments suggest Mathurin isn’t going anywhere. The head coach highlighted how valuable the 22-year-old has been, especially when Tyrese Haliburton was out. “We don’t have Tyrese, we’re behind, we need buckets, we spread the floor and give him the ball, he can create. That’s not our team’s default style, but in that element, he’s as good as anybody I’ve seen.”
That doesn’t sound like a guy on the trade block—it sounds like someone they’re planning to build around.
Feb 17, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) and guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) react after competing in the skills challenge during NBA All Star Saturday Night at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Mathurin is still developing, and while his role—whether as a starter or a key bench piece—isn’t set in stone, the Pacers clearly value what he brings. They’re not questioning his fit, they’re working to refine it. With Indiana looking to keep pace in the East, locking in another scorer to pair with the 2x All-Star makes too much sense. Nothing is official yet, but if Carlisle’s words mean anything, the Pacers aren’t letting Mathurin go anytime soon.
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