Two Cyclones are making noise before a single preseason whistle has blown, and the storylines couldn't be more different — one is a veteran role player finding a new home, the other is a franchise cornerstone with genuine championship ceiling talk.
Georges Niang Lands in Golden State
Georges Niang is heading back to the Bay. The Iowa State forward agreed to a contract with the Golden State Warriors during NBA free agency, filling out a rotation that was still taking shape after a quiet offseason for Golden State. According to FanSided's breakdown of the Warriors' projected lineup and rotation, Niang slots in alongside Brandon Williams as part of a group tasked with providing veteran spacing and secondary scoring off the bench.
At this stage of his career, Niang is exactly what a contending team looks for in a depth piece: a reliable three-point shooter who doesn't need the ball to be effective and who understands his role. Golden State isn't expecting him to carry anything — but in a system built on ball movement and floor spacing, a shooter of Niang's caliber can be a genuine difference-maker in playoff rotations.
Haliburton's Pacers Are Turning Heads
Meanwhile, Tyrese Haliburton is fielding a much bigger conversation. Yahoo Sports projects the Indiana Pacers as the Eastern Conference's dark-horse threat for the 2026-27 season, with the Iowa State product squarely at the center of that argument. Haliburton's playmaking and leadership have made Indiana a legitimate sleeper in a conference that, for all its depth, lacks a dominant favorite.
The Pacers' case doesn't rest on Haliburton alone. The Sporting News points to head coach Rick Carlisle as a significant X-factor — a daunting variable for opponents given his track record of squeezing max value out of roster construction. With Haliburton running the show and Carlisle shaping the system around him, Indiana's ceiling is legitimately hard to cap.
Haliburton is also staying sharp off the court, as The Sporting News reported he was recently spotted in the gym working out alongside Philadelphia's Tyrese Maxey — a detail that speaks to his preparation mentality heading into what could be his highest-stakes season yet.
Also worth noting for Cyclone completists: Monte Morris remains on Indiana's roster as a backup guard, meaning two Iowa State alums could be suiting up together for a Pacers team with Eastern Conference ambitions.
The Cyclone Connection
Iowa State doesn't produce NBA talent in volume the way Kansas or Kentucky does, but the Niang-Haliburton pairing represents something rare: two alumni, at the same time, threading into genuinely compelling NBA narratives. One is proving veterans still have markets; the other is being asked to carry a franchise deep into May. Both stories are worth watching when the 2026-27 season tips off.
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