Tyrese Haliburton says Detroit Pistons decision to draft Killian Hayes 'felt personal'

Tyrese Haliburton could've been selected by the Detroit Pistons, and the decision to draft Killian Hayes over him with the seventh pick in the 2020 NBA draft felt personal.

Haliburton in an interview with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks during All-Star weekend in Indianapolis, said he thought he would end up in Detroit because it needed a point guard at the time. He believed he was the best in a deep class, over players such as Hayes, Cole Anthony, Tyrese Maxey and LaMelo Ball, who was drafted third by the Charlotte Hornets.

When asked which team passing on him felt the most personal, he quickly answered, "For sure, Detroit."

"With the Pistons, I knew they needed a point guard," Haliburton explained. "So, in that moment, I already felt like I was the best point guard in the draft, but LaMelo was touted as the number one guy. So, when he got drafted, I was like 'It's gotta be me.'"

Haliburton, a second-time All-Star this season for the Indiana Pacers, ended up sliding to the 12th pick, where he was selected by the Sacramento Kings. He was traded to Indiana in his second season in exchange for Domantas Sabonis.

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The trade has been beneficial for both teams, as Sabonis last season helped the Kings to their first playoff appearance since 2006, while Haliburton has developed into an All-Star starter and probable All-NBA guard for the Pacers, while guiding them to sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 31-25 record at the All-Star break.

Hayes was the first draft pick of general manager Troy Weaver's tenure with the Pistons, and the decision looks worse and worse as time passes.

Instead of taking Haliburton, coming off a wrist injury that ended his sophomore year at Iowa State after 22 games, the Pistons selected a Frenchmen for the second straight draft in Hayes, who was playing professionally in Germany.

While Haliburton, who turns 24 on Feb. 29, has established himself as one of the best young guards in the NBA, Hayes flamed out, eventually being waived by the Pistons at this year's trade deadline before the end of his rookie contract. He has not been signed to another team yet.

Haliburton sat at home with a camera trained on him for his reaction as the picks kept rolling in and his name wasn't called, despite being listed as the top available player on ESPN's broadcast at the time.

He said he told teams like the Hawks and Cavaliers not to draft him because they already had their point guards of the future, but was convinced he would be off the board at No. 7. But when the Pistons' time to select arrived, Haliburton's agent gave him a signal, motioning his hand across his neck, to indicate it wouldn't be his name called.

"What is this, they're not picking me?" Haliburton said, mimicking his agent's motion. "And then it flashed up, Killian Hayes, and I was like, 'What!?' In that moment I was frustrated, but I knew the Kings were my floor.

"But, still in the moment, I was just angry. I was like, 'What do you mean? They need a point guard and they're not picking me?' So that one definitely felt the most personal."

Weaver explained on draft night the reason for taking Hayes to lead his new rebuild, thinking he checked every box as the best player available, and one who could also help establish a new culture for the organization.

“His dad is a former (pro basketball) player, so he’s been around the game all his life," Weaver said. "He has a really competitive spirit. That’s the biggest trait we looked for. ... He’s extremely competitive. He’s been a pro for a while, since he was 16, so I think his learning curve may be a little faster than the normal rookie in the states.”

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Hayes averaged 8.1 points and 5.2 assists across 210 games, shooting a dismal 38.2% from the field and 27.7% from 3-point range as the league's least efficient scorer. Hayes, 22, started for much of this season as a favorite of new head coach Monty Williams, but his offensive production remained poor with 6.9 points and 4.9 assists on 41.2% shooting and 29.7% from 3.

Weaver said the reason the team cut Hayes is what everyone knows: “It didn’t work because of his shooting. He never got his shooting."

The Pistons set an NBA record with 28 straight losses earlier this season, and own the league's worst record at 8-46, after finishing an NBA-worst 17-65 last season.

Haliburton is averaging 17.2 points and 8.6 assists over his four-year career, shooting 48.2% from the field and 40.6% from 3. He is averaging 21.8 points in 2023-24 and an NBA-best 11.7 assists, shooting 49.2% overall and 40% from 3 (3.2 makes on 7.9 attempts per game).

Haliburton put on a show Sunday night for the hometown crowd in the All-Star game, his second consecutive appearance, putting up 32 points, six assists and seven rebounds while making 11 of 15 shots, including 10 from behind the 3-point line. He made his first five 3s in a 92-second span early in the first quarter.

Bleacher Report in a 2020 redraft article published in December, put Haliburton No. 2, behind only Anthony Edwards, who was the first pick in the real draft to Minnesota. Hayes was not among the 14 lottery picks. Immanuel Quickley was the No. 7 player off the board (B/R did not take into account team fit, instead ranking the players). Sporting News in November also had Haliburton No. 2 in its 2020 redraft, with the Pistons taking wing Devin Vassell seventh — he went No. 11 to San Antonio on draft night.

The draft miss will sting for the Pistons for a long time, just as it did for Haliburton the night of.

He added "there's definitely some extra juice in that game for me" when the Pacers and Pistons match up, though he wished the Pistons well, and said Cade Cunningham is a good friend.

The Pistons visit the Pacers on Thursday to open the season's final third. There's already buzz for that game, after Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin had some trash talk for Pistons guard Jaden Ivey on Friday during their Rising Stars game, which Ivey didn't seem to appreciate. Ivey was picked one spot ahead of Mathurin by the Pistons in the 2022 draft.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons decision to pass on Tyrese Haliburton 'felt personal'