Tyrese Haliburton is still considered the steal of the 2020 NBA Draft. He was picked by the Sacramento Kings with the 12th overall selection, and has become one of the young rising stars in the league after three seasons. The Kings used him in a trade in order to reshape their franchise, but he was almost stolen by the Dallas Mavericks, according to Mark Cuban.

Mavericks Wanted Tyrese Haliburton, Says Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban: “We did everything we could to trade up for Tyrese Haliburton… Rick [Carlisle] was our coach at the time. He goes to Indiana, what’s the first deal he does”

Pat Beverley: “Him and Luka together would’ve been different!”

(via @PatBevPod)pic.twitter.com/iryXyvPDhz

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 30, 2023

Sacramento was reportedly ecstatic when Haliburton was available when they were on the clock in 2020. The downtrodden franchise was desperate to add a star to go along with De’Aaron Fox, though it wasn’t expected to be the scrawny kid from Iowa with a funny looking jump shot.

But he was. Haliburton became a sensation for the Kings, who were applauded for finally making the right move on draft night. He lasted just a season and a half in Sacramento, though, as his fit alongside Fox was in question. The team flipped him to Indiana in exchange for Domantas Sabonis, a trade that has seemingly worked out for both sides.

He almost wasn’t drafted by the Kings at all. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban appeared on Patrick Beverley’s podcast recently, and dropped a bombshell of information regarding how they approached the draft the night that Haliburton was selected:

We did everything we could to trade up and get him. Did everything we could. Obviously, Rick was our coach at the time. Rick goes to Indiana, what’s the first deal he does

Haliburton One Of The Top Passers In The Game

Bleacher Report’s top 10 Guards Under 25 with Highest Ceilings:

1. Luka Doncic

2. Anthony Edwards

3. Ja Morant

4. Tyrese Haliburton

5. LaMelo Ball

6. Darius Garland

7. Scoot Henderson

8. Cade Cunningham

9. Jalen Williams

10. Josh Giddey

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 23, 2023

“Everything” is a stretch. There are of course things that could have been done to entice the Kings or another team enough to give up their pick. Hindsight is 20/20 though, and Cuban likes to believe that he had the foresight on Haliburton becoming such a great player.

Beverley responds with some praise of his own directed towards Haliburton:

Him and Luka together Oh my god. That would have been different…He plays the game the right way. Its funky looking, but so what.

Tyrese Haliburton was named an All-Star for the first time last season. He averaged 20.7 points, and his 10.4 assists per game would have ranked him second in the NBA if he had played the necessary 58 games to qualify.

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