Sacramento Kings see bidding war break out for Jaden Ivey and No. 4 pick in NBA draft
The Kings knew they would have a hot commodity when they jumped three spots in the lottery to secure the No. 4 pick in the NBA draft. They couldn’t have known the value of the pick would generate enough trade buzz to prompt a live segment featuring ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski from Game 6 of the NBA finals on Thursday night at TD Garden.
Wojnarowski reported on “NBA Countdown” that numerous teams want to move up to No. 4 in order to drafty Ivey, pointing to teams such as the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks and Washington Wizards.
“That No. 4 pick that the Sacramento Kings hold is very much in play,” Wojnarowski said. “There are a lot of teams trying to get deals done with Sacramento so they can move up to select Jaden Ivey. That’s teams close to them in the lottery — Detroit, Indiana, who are five and six, the New York Knicks at 11, the Washington Wizards at No. 10 and even some teams outside of the lottery.
“Sacramento’s asking price is going to be significant to move in there. I think they see this as essentially a four-player draft. There’s a drop off after four. Monte McNair, their GM, you can expect him to be on the phones this next week as we get closer to Thursday’s draft, and if they’re going to move that pick, I think they expect that they’re going to get a lot in return.”
Earlier in the day, a report from Substack’s Quinton Mayo suggested the Wizards have “spent a significant amount of time discussing possible trade packages to acquire the number four overall pick from Sacramento, Ivey’s assumed draft position.”
There was immediate speculation that such a deal would bring the Kings a package that would include the No. 10 pick in the draft plus Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma, a young player such as Deni Avdija or Rui Hachimura and additional draft compensation. That kind of offer is worthy of discussion at Kings headquarters, but better offers could arise.
Ivey is widely projected to go to the Kings with the No. 4 pick in the draft. That is assuming he doesn’t jump into the top three ahead of Auburn power forward Jabari Smith Jr., Gonzaga center Chet Holmgren or Duke power forward Paolo Banchero.
Ivey, 20, is one of the most electrifying players in this year’s draft. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard averaged 17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists as a sophomore at Purdue. He shot 46% from the field and 35.8% from 3-point range.
A report surfaced earlier this week suggesting Sacramento is not Ivey’s “preferred destination,” but that wouldn’t prevent the Kings from drafting him. There are legitimate questions about Ivey’s fit with De’Aaron Fox given their similar strengths and weaknesses, but there’s also plenty of intrigue over the possibility of Fox and Ivey running the floor in transition and making cuts around a big man like Domantas Sabonis.
If Kings general manager Monte McNair keeps the No. 4 pick, he will likely have his choice between the likes of Ivey, Iowa forward Keegan Murray, Kentucky shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe and G League Ignite guard Dyson Daniels. If McNair chooses to trade the pick, he could potentially move back one position or more to acquire another player or additional assets.
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This story was originally published June 17, 2022 at 4:00 AM.
