Tyrese Haliburton's rookie season left Kings fans extremely excited for the young guard's future, and the front office rewarded the 21-year-old by picking up the third-year option on his contract, the Kings announced Friday. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the option Friday citing league sources.
This comes as no surprise after the start of Haliburton's career, which culminated with an All-Rookie First-Team designation and a third-place finish in Rookie of the Year voting. Rookie contracts have team options on the third and fourth seasons, but the Kings won't be letting Haliburton go anywhere anytime soon.
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Haliburton played 30.1 minutes per game as a rookie and averaged 13.0 points, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals.
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Alongside De'Aaron Fox and 2021 top-10 draft pick Davion Mitchell, the Kings hope to attack opposing teams with a trio of elite point guards on both ends of the floor.
The Kings managed to select Haliburton at No. 12 overall after a surprising fall in the 2020 draft, and general manager Monte McNair managed to nail his first chance at a first-round choice.
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Haliburton and the Kings will tip off the 2021-22 regular season on Oct. 20 in Portland against the Trail Blazers.