Tyrese Haliburton still remembers his 2020 workout with the Golden State Warriors that had him thinking he was headed to the Bay Area.
The Indiana Pacers star appeared on the “Numbers on the Board” podcast earlier this week and opened up about the team’s decision to pass on him in the 2020 NBA draft. Haliburton, who was considered a mid-to-late lottery pick at the time, claimed to have “the best workout of my life” for the Warriors, who held the No. 2 overall pick that year.
Haliburton swore he “didn’t miss” throughout the entire workout with Golden State, motivated by the belief that he would thrive as a playmaker next to Steph Curry.
“I’m like, ‘I’ve got to have a good workout.’ I swear, I didn’t miss,” Haliburton said.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr then had Haliburton go through the infamous “conditioning shooting” drills long associated with Curry. Haliburton believed he had aced those same workouts that had left No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards questioning his own work ethic.
“I didn’t miss again, and I was like, ‘They’re drafting me at 2,'” Haliburton continued. “And then in the interview they were like, ‘We know you fit us perfect. We know you fit us perfect. But we don’t know if we can draft you at 2.'”
Tyrese Haliburton says his pre-draft workout with the warriors was the best workout of his life but didn’t drafted
— Yaxel Lendeborg Muse (@Yaxel_Muse) August 17, 2026
“I went in I was like 'This is perfect' because I know I could play in that system and Steph wants to play off ball. That allows me to have the rock” pic.twitter.com/pej3ytc984
True enough, the Warriors selected James Wiseman with the No. 2 pick. While Golden State still ended up winning a championship in 2022, fans can only wonder what the team would look like right now had Halliburton, who went 12th to the Sacramento Kings, been Curry’s running mate from then til now.
Golden State passed on Haliburton and LaMelo Ball, whom the Charlotte Hornets selected with the third overall pick. Both Haliburton and Ball turned into All-Stars, while Wiseman has struggled to remain in the league at all.
