Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) against Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) at Footprint Center.
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Tyrese Haliburton has established himself as the face of the Indiana Pacers, but his NBA career could have taken a very different turn if he had gotten his wish on draft night in 2020.
During an appearance on the Numbers on the Board podcast, Haliburton said that he and his agents were actively calling the Phoenix Suns before their selection, hoping that the Suns would draft him and pair him next to Devin Booker.
“We were calling Phoenix, like y’all need a PG. I was tryna play with Book. I was like ‘Let me come play with Book’, and they were like, ‘We’re drafting a PF’.”
The Suns had the 10th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and ultimately selected Maryland big man Jalen Smith. Haliburton remained available for two more selections before the Sacramento Kings took him with the No. 12 pick.
Looking back six years later, that represents one of the most fascinating what-if scenarios from the draft.
Haliburton was coming off two seasons at Iowa State and appeared to offer exactly what the Suns needed next to Booker. Instead, the Suns went in a different direction before acquiring veteran point guard Chris Paul from the Oklahoma City Thunder just days before the draft.
Smith’s tenure with the Suns proved very short-lived. The Suns declined the third-year option on his rookie contract, and he was traded to the Indiana Pacers in February 2022. Smith now plays for the Chicago Bulls, and he averaged 10.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists during the 2025-26 season.
Haliburton, however, became one of the league’s best playmakers.
He averaged 13.0 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.0 rebounds as a rookie with the Kings and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. His stay with the Kings lasted less than two seasons before Sacramento stunned the NBA and traded him to the Indiana Pacers as part of the blockbuster Domantas Sabonis trade in February 2022.
And that move effectively changed Haliburton’s career trajectory, turning him into a franchise cornerstone.
Across his first five NBA seasons, Haliburton has averaged 17.5 points, 8.8 assists, and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 47.7% from the field and 39.2% from the three-point range. He has earned two All-Star selections and two All-NBA honors while also leading the league in assists during the 2023-24 season.
His biggest accomplishment came during the 2025 playoffs, where he led the Pacers on an incredible Finals run. The Pacers pushed the Oklahoma City Thunder to Game 7 before falling short, and unfortunately, Haliburton suffered a torn Achilles during that pivotal game, forcing him to miss the entire 2025-26 season.
On the same podcast, Haliburton also revealed that the Suns weren’t his only preferred destination in 2020. He thought the Golden State Warriors might draft him after they expressed interest in pairing him next to Stephen Curry, but that didn’t materialize, as the Warriors selected James Wiseman with the second overall pick.
Haliburton also spoke about his departure from the Sacramento Kings. He revealed that the Kings had encouraged him to buy a house in the area before trading him to the Pacers in 2022. And now, after missing the entire 2025-26 season, Haliburton is fully healthy and ready to make his comeback. He believes his new Pacers center, Ivica Zubac, could transform his game.
He also expressed frustration with the NBA over the Pacers’ scheduled opener for the 2026-27 season. Indiana will begin the season on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans, meaning Haliburton’s first game after a 16-month absence won’t be played at home or on national television.
The Suns’ decision also shows how unpredictable draft night can be. Phoenix was coming off an incredible 8-0 run in the Orlando bubble and had already seen Booker enter his prime. Adding Haliburton could have potentially given the franchise a long-term backcourt next to Booker.
Instead, the Suns chose Smith. The Kings landed Haliburton, and a chain of events sent him to Indiana less than two years later.
But six years later, Haliburton’s admission makes it clear that before he became synonymous with the Pacers, he was hoping his NBA journey would begin alongside Booker in Phoenix.