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 the 2024 All-Star weekend said he thought he would end up in Detroit because they needed a point guard at the time. He believed he was the best in the class, over players such as Hayes and Lamelo Ball, who was drafted third by the Hornets.

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. 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.

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That 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. While Haliburton 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, and he has not been signed to another team yet.

In the wide-ranging interview about his career, Rooks asked Haliburton about the draft and his emotions as he continued to slide down in the lottery, before eventually being scooped by the Kings. When asked which team passing on him felt the most personal, he answered Detroit without hesitation.

"For sure Detroit, for sure Detroit," Haliburton said while also acknowledging other landing spots of teams in the top 10 that year he would've enjoyed, such as the Golden State Warriors (who drafted James Wiseman at 2), the Bulls and the Knicks.

After listing off the other teams, Haliburton circled back to Detroit, saying he was convinced he would end up there since the team needed a point guard heading into the 2020-21 season.

"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, who turns 24 on Feb. 29, 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. Haliburton said he told teams like the Hawks and Cavaliers not to draft them because they already had their point guards of the future, but was convinced he would be off the board at seven. 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.

Instead of taking Haliburton, who was coming off an injury during his sophomore year at Iowa State, the Pistons turned back to France for the second straight draft and selected Hayes.

"What is this, they're not picking me?" Haliburton said while 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."

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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 in his four years. 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.

Haliburton is averaging is averaging 17.2 points and 8.6 assists over his four-year career, shooting 48.2% from the field and 40.2% from 3. He is averaging 21.8 points and an NBA-best 11.7 assists while shooting 49.2% from the field and 40% from 3.

Haliburton put on a show for the hometown crowd in the All-Star game Sunday, 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.

The draft miss will sting for the Pistons for a long time, just as it did for Haliburton the night of the 2020 draft.

"But, still in the moment, I was just angry," Haliburton said. "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."

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