"Damn it, that’s not what you need" - Stephen A. Smith reveals 'arguing' with Knicks front office to draft Tyrese Haliburton

Stephen A. Smith has been amazed by Tyrese Haliburton as of late for his incredible performances for the Indiana Pacers. The ESPN analyst said that he tried to argue with the New York Knicks front office to draft the young guard in 2020 to help the franchise.

Haliburton is starring for the Pacers, leading them to a 122-112 win over the Boston Celtics on Monday night to advance to the semifinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament. He nabbed his first career triple-double, and even the 62 points that came from Boston's Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown weren't enough.

Now, Smith is showing appreciation and love for the young star from Iowa State, just like the rest of the NBA community.

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"I picked up the phone … and obviously, I know a few members of the Knicks," Smith said. "I called them personally. I was literally arguing — I ain’t gon’ say no names. They know who they are. I was arguing with them: draft Haliburton.

"You got Julius Randle. You ain’t gon’ play Obi Toppin but so much. I know the brother’s a skywalker, but damn it, that’s not what you need. You need Haliburton.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there's only two players in the NBA that are averaging 25 points and 10 assists a game. Haliburton's one of them. Trae Young is the other."

The Knicks drafted Obi Toppin with the eighth pick. It wasn't a terrible choice, but he's not with the team anymore and didn't develop into a solid star. Haliburton, on the other hand, was drafted by the Sacramento Kings with the 12th pick and was later traded to the Pacers.

Now, both Toppin and Haliburton are with the Pacers.

You might also be interested in reading this: Watch: Tyrese Haliburton's parents can't stop admiring Pacers' All-Star after first career knockout win

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A Western Conference contender showed interest in Tyrese Haliburton

During an episode of "The Old Man & The Three" podcast, Tyrese Haliburton shared that the Golden State Warriors were interested in drafting him. The Warriors had the second pick that year after an abysmal season.

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"When I got to the NBA — I told this story, too — the Warriors were after me pretty hard," Haliburton said. "Coach (Steve) Kerr called Coach (Luke) Walton when I got drafted, and was like, 'We love him, love his jumper, don't touch it, like, it's gonna go in.'"

In the end, Golden State chose James Wiseman, who didn't pan out the way. Now, Wiseman is with the Detroit Pistons and is struggling to get playing time from Monty Williams.

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