Tyrese Haliburton Reacts to Jaylen Brown-76ers Trade and Eyes NBA Rule Change on 2nd Apron

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton was the latest NBA player to chime in on the league's second apron rule.

While reacting to the trade that sent Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics to the Philadelphia 76ers, Haliburton said the second apron is something that needs to be "discussed."

"The second apron is something that will have to be discussed when we get to our next CBA, because I think that it's hurting good teams from continuing to be good," Haliburton said on The Pat McAfee Show. "... Even with the Knicks not being able to run back that same roster the following year. I hope it's something that we fix eventually. I think the idea of it was good, you know, wanting to create parity and more teams can compete, but I think it's something that will have to be discussed."

The current apron system went into effect during the 2024 offseason. Under the current model, owners face steeper tax penalties for exceeding the first and second apron.

The idea is to prevent teams from building expensive rosters that smaller markets can't compete with, and it has been successful in doing so. The league has seen eight different champions in the last eight years.

But those who are critical of the apron system argue that it punishes teams for having good, homegrown rosters, something that has been on display this offseason.

The Brown trade is a perfect example of that. Brown was drafted by the Celtics and reached stardom in Boston, but the team opted to move on from him because of his pricey contract.

"The path looked a little bit more challenging with 70 percent of our cap and such a high percent of our usage tied into two players," Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said after the trade.

In the words of National Basketball Players Association executive director David Kelly, the apron systems "decimate teams and force decisions to be made that are not basketball decisions."

Just one team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, went over the second apron last season.

While the Brown trade perhaps will spark discussion about the second apron, it also makes the 76ers one of the teams to watch to come out of the East this year.

"I think it also creates more intrigue and interest in the East," Haliburton said. "This is probably the first time in the last, however long, that the East has been just as, if not more, interesting than the West."

Philadelphia will feature a core of Brown, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. The team is also in the mix for star free agent LeBron James, which would only make them better.

Haliburton's Pacers and many other teams in the East are hoping to compete for a championship this year, but the 76ers are going to make things very difficult.