Tyrese Haliburton Thought He May be Drafted by Washington Wizards
· Yahoo Sports
Tyrese Haliburton as a Washington Wizard? According to the Pacers' star point guard, it was a possibility the night of the 2020 NBA Draft.
In a podcast appearance last week, Haliburton reveled that he told both Cleveland and Atlanta to not draft him due to the fact that each team had Darius Garland and Trae Young, who is now in Washington, but Haliburton admitted that he thought the chance to land with the Wizards was a possibility.
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It wasn't a path that he preferred given the Wizards still had John Wall on the roster at the time, but Haliburton said the Wizards called him after a draft night rumor surfaced that the Detroit Pistons may turn to Deni Avdija with the seventh overall pick, shifting Washington's plans. Yet that would not come to fruition after the Pistons ultimately turned to Killian Hayes, allowing the Wizards to then turn to Avdija with their pick. Haliburton also admitted that he didn't view the New York Knicks, who owned the eighth pick, as a realistic landing spot due to the fact that he believed they would turn to Dayton star Obi Toppin.
In the end, Haliburton heard his name called with the 12th overall pick after beginning his NBA career with the Sacramento Kings then cementing himself among the league's best with the Indiana Pacers. As for Washington, Avdija became one of the previous front office's few success stories from the draft after progressing into one of the Wizards' top scorers before averaging double figures scoring in what proved to be his fourth and final season with the organization.
Though the move still to this day has drawn criticism, the Washington Wizards focused on their rebuild efforts after shipping Avdija to the Portland Trail Blazers ahead of the 2024-25 season in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon and a first round pick in 2024 that materialized into Bub Carrington, along with a pair of future draft picks including a 2029 first round selection.
While Haliburton's rise would have fit the same profile as Avdija, likely inviting criticism had Washington also made a move, the idea of Haliburton beginning his career in DC behind Wall then Russell Westbrook and alongside Bradley Beal adds intrigue to whether the Wizards would have been able to avoid the three year span that marked a low for the organization.
Now? Washington will look to slow down a Pacers team looking to return to the postseason with Haliburton back at full strength ahead of the 2026-27 regular season.