Jan 29, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) dribbles the ball while Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson (9) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

NBA Rewind: Tyrese Haliburton Opens up on Being Passed Over by Pistons

Originally posted on Detroit Pistons on SI
By Kevin McCormick | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 7:43 PM ET

With their lottery pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons rolled the dice on international prospect Killian Hayes. Roughly five years later, one of the top talents from this class opened up about his frustrations on being passed over.

Five selections after the Pistons took Hayes, the Sacramento Kings took Tyrese Haliburton out of Iowa State. Despite being taken on the back end of the lottery, he's emerged as one of the best players from the draft. Since being traded to the Indiana Pacers, Haliburton has helped turn the team into a contender in the Eastern Conference. In a few short days, they'll be taking the floor in the NBA Finals for the first time in 25 years.

Ahead of this year's finals, footage resurfaced of an old interview Haliburton did with Taylor Rooks from 2024. The two dove into a variety of topics, including his fall on draft night. Looking at all the possible situations, he thought the Pistons were a viable landing spot.

"With the Pistons," Haliburton said. "I knew they needed a point guard. I already felt like I was the best point guard in the draft...Flashed up, Killian Hayes. I'm like what, in the moment I was just angry."

Hali couldn't believe the Pistons passed up on him during his draft

He also had the Knicks as one of his top teams...imagine?

(via Taylor Rooks X) pic.twitter.com/uxnRoyRAGN
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 3, 2025

Drafting Hayes did not pan out for the Pistons, as he never lived up to the potential of being a top-10 pick. He'd appear in 210 games across four seasons, averaging 8.1 PPG and 5.2 APG in that time. Detroit tried to flip Hayes at last year's deadline, but after no deal surfaced, the front office made the decision to waive him.

Passing on Haliburton was certainly a miss for the Pistons, but in hindsight, it's something they shouldn't be too worried about. If they had taken him, they likely wouldn't have Cade Cunningham now. Seeing that he's emerged as the next face of the franchise, things still worked out well for them.