Tyrese Haliburton Says He Told Cavs, Hawks Not to Pick Him in 2020 NBA Draft

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton wanted to steer clear of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks when he was entering the NBA in 2020.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony reported on The Lowe Post podcast in November 2020 (via NBC Sports California's James Ham) that Haliburton's agents were working behind the scenes to ensure certain teams wouldn't select him in the draft.

Haliburton confirmed Thursday on The Old Man & The Three he at least told representatives from the Cavs and Hawks he didn't want to land with their franchises.

"From there, it was open season for everybody," he said at the 1:28 mark. "And they didn't pick me, so the narrative that I forced my way to Sacramento is not true at all."

The second-year guard alluded to Atlanta and Cleveland's existing backcourts as why he was wary of both teams.

The Hawks had clearly identified Trae Young as their franchise cornerstone and got Kevin Huerter from that same 2018 draft. The Cavs, meanwhile, had used first-round picks on point guards (Collin Sexton and Darius Garland) in each of the previous two seasons.

While the Kings were already hitching their wagons to De'Aaron Fox—he signed a max extension in November 2020—Sacramento still had enough room to let Haliburton take on a big role.

The 21-year-old averaged 13.6 points and 6.3 assists over 32.1 minutes per game in 109 appearances with the Kings. He also finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting.

Although Haliburton was warming up to Sacramento, that didn't stop the Kings from shipping him to the Pacers ahead of the trade deadline. He took the move hard at first, but Indiana's midseason reshuffle might allow him to shine even brighter than he was with the Kings.