After making five straight NBA Finals appearances from 2015 to 2019, the Golden State Warriors finished as the 15th seed in the Western Conference during the 2019-20 NBA season.
As a result, the Warriors were awarded the second overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
The Warriors used the pick to draft James Wiseman, who turned out to be an underwhelming player for the team.
One player that the Dubs could have picked was Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton.
Even Haliburton believes that he had the qualities to become a member of the Warriors and was shocked when the organization didn’t select him with the No. 2 pick, as revealed via Tim Kawakami on Twitter.
“I was disappointed that they (had) the No. 2 pick because I felt like if they were anywhere out of the top three, I felt like I was going to be the pick,” Haliburton said.
How close did the Warriors get to taking Tyrese Haliburton in 2020? Here's Haliburton now:
“I was disappointed that they (had) the No. 2 pick because I felt like if they were anywhere out of the top three, I felt like I was going to be the pick.”https://t.co/miSfzVATdF
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) December 22, 2023
Tyrese Haliburton was skipped by the Golden State Warriors, as the future NBA star was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the 12th overall pick.
However, Haliburton didn’t impress the Kings, as he was traded to the Pacers during his sophomore season.
Haliburton is now averaging 24.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 12.0 assists per game for the Pacers this season.
The 23-year-old is well and truly on his way to earning the second NBA All-Star appearance of his career.
Today, the Warriors are regretting not drafting the Indiana Pacers, but at the end of the day, it was for the best.
It’s a well-known fact that Warriors head coach Steve Kerr prefers playing veterans over young players in games.
Haliburton’s growth would have been stunted if he had played under Kerr and he would have never become the same player he is today.
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