Top prospect Jaden Ivey says Sacramento Kings ‘wouldn’t be worst option’ in NBA draft
Purdue guard Jaden Ivey fielded a number of questions about the Kings on Monday after a report surfaced suggesting Sacramento was not his “preferred destination” in Thursday’s NBA draft.
Ivey was asked if he had met with or worked out with the Kings during the pre-draft process and how he might fit if Sacramento selects him with the No. 4 pick in the draft.
“I would just say I actually haven’t been in contact with them, didn’t work out for them,” Ivey said during a Zoom call with reporters. “I’m kind of just letting this process handle itself. If I got drafted there, it wouldn’t be the worst option. I can’t pick. I’m not the GM who picks the guy, so I’m just trying to enjoy this process and whatever happens on draft night, I’m just going to stick with it.”
Ivey said he didn’t make a “conscious decision” not to meet with the Kings, saying “it just kind of happened.” He went on to discuss his potential fit with Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox and center Domantas Sabonis.
“Obviously, they just drafted Davion Mitchell (in 2021),” Ivey said. “They have guys like Sabonis. Obviously, a great guard like De’Aaron Fox. They’ve got a lot of talent; just trying to get some guys in to complement them, and I think I’d fit in anywhere, but we’re going to see what happens on draft night.”
Ivey, 19, is a 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard who averaged 19.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists as a sophomore at Purdue. He shot 46% from the field and 35.8% from 3-point range. He is an explosive athlete with elite burst and finishing ability, but there are questions about his fit with Fox given their similar strengths and weaknesses.
Ivey, who is widely projected as the No. 4 pick, said he has studied teams like the Kings, Oklahoma City Thunder, Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks since the draft order was unveiled at the NBA draft lottery in Chicago.
“I started looking at film of Sacramento,” he said. “Obviously (there) could be situations where I could land to New York. I watched a lot of Detroit, the pieces they have, young talent. OKC is one I could see myself at, but really all of those teams, I feel like I could see myself at, and we’ll just see what happens on draft night.”
Ivey said the Orlando Magic and Pistons are the only teams he worked out for. He added that he recently had a videoconference with the Indiana Pacers. That was an interesting revelation given the possibility of the Kings making a trade with the Pistons or Pacers to move back to No. 5 or No. 6 in the draft.
“I just recently had a Zoom call with them,” Ivey said. “I did not work out with them. The Zoom call went well. We’ll just see what happens in the draft. There’s only three days left before the draft, so I’m just kind of trying to soak everything in right now and see what happens on draft day.”
