Haliburton Says He and His Agent Called Suns Before 2020 Draft, But Phoenix Passed
Tyrese Haliburton revealed on the "Numbers On the Board" podcast that he and his agent called the Phoenix Suns about drafting him in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft. The Suns instead used the 10th overall pick to select Jalen Smith out of Maryland, and the Sacramento Kings chose Haliburton 12th overall.
"Stix is my boy, I played with Stix, that's my dawg," Haliburton said about Smith. "We were calling Phoenix. 'Ya'll need a PG. Let me come play with Book.' They were like, 'We're going with a power forward.' I was like, 'I don't know who they're talking about, but they're not drafting me.'"
At the time, the Suns had point guard Ricky Rubio on the roster, but two days after the draft they traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of a package for Chris Paul. The Suns reached the 2021 NBA Finals and won a franchise-record 64 games in 2021-22 with Paul. They haven't had a true point guard since trading Paul for Bradley Beal after the 2022-23 season, leaving Devin Booker, a natural shooting guard, as the team's main facilitator.
Suns general manager James Jones addressed the decision at the time, saying he liked the idea of Smith sharing the court with Deandre Ayton to help match the size of the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets. The Lakers had just won the 2019-20 championship with Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard, and the Nuggets reached the 2020 Western Conference finals with Nikola Jokic and Jerami Grant.
"I think when you look at his ball skills and his comfort level, being on the perimeter, he allows us to play with two dynamic bigs in space," Jones said then. "So I don't think it will be a problem. I'm looking forward to seeing those two guys anchoring the floor together, even if it's for stints."
Former Suns coach Monty Williams previously said of Haliburton: "We focused on him in the draft, but we couldn't get him." Haliburton reportedly withheld medical information from the Atlanta Hawks (6th pick) and Cleveland Cavaliers (5th pick), but he disputed Williams' comment in 2024 when speaking to Arizona Sports' Kellan Olson.
"No, that's incorrect," Haliburton said. "That's definitely not the case. I was open to going anywhere that wasn't those two teams. And any team that didn't pick me, I don't know."
Haliburton said he worked out with the Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Chicago Bulls before the draft, and had interviews with the New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets, and Sacramento Kings. He said his agent told him the Kings might trade up to get him, and the Kings told him he wouldn't be available at their pick, 12th overall. He saw 11 teams pass on him before the Kings selected him.
The first 12 picks of the 2020 draft were: Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman, LaMelo Ball, Patrick Williams, Isaac Okoro, Onyeka Okongwu, Killian Hayes, Obi Toppin, Deni Avdija, Jalen Smith, Devin Vassell, and Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton was the third point guard taken, behind Ball and Hayes — Hayes is now a backup point guard for the Kings after finishing his sixth NBA season. When a podcaster said Hayes' tape was "pretty good," Haliburton said "Next" dismissively.
Smith hardly played as a rookie for the Suns and was traded to the Indiana Pacers before the 2022 trade deadline along with a 2022 second-round pick for Torrey Craig. He averaged a career-high 13.4 points and 7.6 rebounds in 22 games with the Pacers that season, and he is now with the Chicago Bulls entering the final year of a three-year, $27 million contract. Last season, he averaged 10.2 points and 6.7 rebounds.
Haliburton, meanwhile, made the NBA All-Rookie first team but was traded by the Kings to the Pacers before the 2022 deadline in a deal involving Buddy Hield, Tristan Thompson, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb, Domantas Sabonis, and a 2023 second-round pick. He led the Pacers to the 2025 NBA Finals, is a two-time All-Star and All-NBA selection, and was the second-youngest player on the 2024 Team USA squad. He is set to return this season after missing all of last year with a torn Achilles.
Haliburton's revelation has sparked renewed scrutiny of the Suns' decision, especially given their subsequent lack of a true point guard. He could have played behind Paul and eventually emerged as the starter in Phoenix, but the team chose Smith instead.