Indiana Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle: Dallas Mavs ‘Desperately’ Tried Tyrese Haliburton Trade in 2020 NBA Draft

Former Mavs coach Rick Carlisle revealed the organization valued Tyrese Haliburton as the top player in the 2020 NBA Draft and attempted to move up to acquire him.

DALLAS — Tyrese Haliburton has been among the top names in the spotlight after leading the Indiana Pacers to the NBA In-Season Tournament title game, using victories against the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks to achieve it. 

Before the Pacers lost 123-109 to the Los Angeles Lakers in the IST title game, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle highlighted the value Indiana sees in Haliburton as a true franchise cornerstone who influences winning at a high level.

"He's a great young player. He'll certainly be an All-Star this year," Carlisle said of Haliburton. "I would expect that he will be All-NBA, and he's the kind of guy you can build a team around because he influences winning in so many ways."

Haliburton is having a career year, averaging 26.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 12.1 assists (league-high) in 18 games. His impact will surely earn him an All-Star appearance while continuing to show his value as a dynamic scoring threat who connects the offense with his distributing ability. 

"He can put up a 30 or 40-point night scoring the ball if needed, but he's a connector," Carlisle said of Haliburton. "He's going to be a 10 to 12 assist guy per night. He makes guys around him better. He connects with his teammates, and he connects with the fans, the community, and the organization. And so, you know, those things make him very, very special."

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton during the NBA In-Season Tournament / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Carlisle expressed how when he was still coaching the Dallas Mavericks, the team tried "desperately" to make a trade to be in a position to select Haliburton during the 2020 NBA Draft but was unable to do so. The Mavs believed he was the top player in the entire class, even with talents like Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball.

"When the trade call was completed, you know, I really believed he was a special player when I was in Dallas, and in 2020 we desperately tried to move up to get him in the draft. We thought he was the best player in the draft and he ended up going 12 or 13 or something like that, and so I've always been a believer."

Pacers' Rick Carlisle Compares Tyrese Haliburton to Mavs' Luka Doncic, Jason Kidd

Carlisle recently compared Haliburton's passing ability to what he witnessed coaching Luka Doncic and Jason Kidd during his Mavs tenure, highlighting their ability to navigate traps and still create for their teammates. 

"The other thing I really was impressed with was the way [Tyrese Haliburton] trusted his teammates when they started trapping him all over the floor," Carlisle said of Haliburton. "Certain guys have the ability to deliver the ball in a way that creates confidence for teammates. I saw Jason Kidd do it. I saw Luka Doncic do it. And now, we're seeing Tyrese do it."

It's fascinating to imagine what it would have looked like to have Doncic and Haliburton in the backcourt. The franchise's trajectory would have been much different, considering the Mavs traded for Kyrie Irving after proving unable to retain Jalen Brunson on a second contract.