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

When he was entering the NBA in 2020, the Indiana Pacers star wanted to avoid the Cleveland and Atlanta Hawks.

In November 2020, Jonathan Givony reported on The Lowe Post that Haliburton's agents were working to prevent certain teams from selecting him in the draft.

On The Old Man and The Three, he said that he didn't want to join the Hawks or the Cavs.

He said at the 1:28 mark that the narrative that he forced his way to Sacramento is not true.

The second-year guard was wary of both Atlanta and Cleveland because of their backcourts.

The Hawks got Kevin Huerter from the same draft as Trae Young. In each of the previous two seasons, the Cavs used first-round picks on point guards.

While the Kings were already hitching their wagons to De'Aaron Fox, he signed a max extension in November 2020.

The 21-year-old averaged 13.6 points and 6.3 assists over 32.1 minutes per game in his time with the Kings. He finished third in the rookies of the year voting.

Before the trade deadline, the Kings shipped Haliburton to the Pacers despite him warming up to them. He took the move hard at first, but Indiana's mid-season change might allow him to shine even brighter than he did with the Kings.