INDIANAPOLIS -- Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton is hopeful he'll be back from a hamstring strain and for good to start Tuesday night against the Celtics because, of course, he wants to play. But there's another significant reason for him to return: Missing too many games could keep him from earning $54.1 million.

Haliburton signed a five-year contract extension in July that will kick in next season, paying him at least $205.9 million and up to $260 million. The difference between the two figures is whether Haliburton satisfies the collective bargaining agreement requirements for a fifth-year player coming off his rookie scale contract to be paid 30% of a team's salary cap as opposed to 25%.

A player can make that extra 5% if he earns an MVP, wins Defensive Player of the Year or is voted into a spot on one of the three All-NBA teams. As it stands, Haliburton has a pretty good case to make to be considered one of the top 15 players in the league. He's already been named a starting guard for the Eastern Conference All-Star team averaging 23.6 points per game and leading the NBA in assists with 12.6 per game while shooting 49.6% from the floor, 40% from 3-point range and 86.2% from the free throw line. He led his Pacers to a surprise run to the finals of the In-Season Tournament and they currently sit at 27-20 in sixth place in the Eastern Conference after missing the postseason entirely the last two years.

But to be eligible for the All-NBA team or any other regular season awards, he has to play in at least 65 of the Pacers' 82 regular season awards according to a new rule added in the collective bargaining agreement put in place last year to encourage more participation from star players due to complaints about missed games due to "load management" reasons. If Haliburton does not make this year's All-NBA team, he will not be eligible for the $260 million even if he makes it in each of his five years of the contract. He would, however, be eligible for a "supermax" deal in his next contract, which could pay him up to 35% of the cap in an extension.

Haliburton would still be paid handsomely, of course. Before the All-NBA incentive he's set to make $35.5 million in 2024-25 with raises each year of the contract up to $46.9 million in 2028-29. That's all much more than the $5.8 million he's making this year on the last year of his rookie deal. Still, the money he's missing out on is a lot and it's something he has to think about as he moves forward in his injury recovery. He's already missed 13 games, so just five more puts him over the limit.

"I'm human like you guys," Haliburton said. "I use the internet as well. I completely understand it and I understand what's at stake for me financially as well. But at the end of the day, it's also that I have to take care of my body to the best of my ability and put myself in the right situation. Yeah, I know I don't have a ton of games left."

And that is a tricky proposition, as it forces him to consider what's best for his recovery on one hand and generational wealth on the other.

"I think it's a stupid rule like many guys in the league," Haliburton said. "But this is what the owners want, so as players, we have to do our job and play in 65 games if we're able to. That's what I gotta do, take care of my body to be able to play in those games. You're seeing other players in the league face the same thing. As long as the owners are happy."

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, who is also president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, didn't go so far as to call the rule stupid, but he did say it requires some review. He also noted that Haliburton played in the finals of the In-Season Tournament, a game that was televised and showcased by the league, but that does not count to the 82.

There are other top players who are in similar circumstances in terms of their eligibility for awards, though not all of them have the same contract incentives. Philadelphia 76ers center and reigning MVP Joel Embiid has missed 11 of the 76ers' 44 games with a variety of ailments including knee soreness. He leads the NBA with 36 points per game and has also been voted an Eastern Conference All-Star starter, but if he misses as many games in the second half of the season as he did the first half, he won't be eligible for postseason awards. Embiid, however, is already on a supermax deal, making $47.6 million this year and due $51.4 million next season according to the sports business website Spotrac.

"It's going to be a topic of conversation," Carlisle said. "There are many high-level players that are going to be close to the threshold. The other thing about this is when you get to the In-Season Tournament finals and you play a game that doesn't count as a game played, that a serious conversation too. We'll see where it all ends up with all these guys, Tyrese included."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why Tyrese Haliburton's hamstring injury could cost him $54.1 million