The Kings appeared to make the most of their time at the NBA Draft Combine this weekend.
Sacramento is looking to capitalize on its lottery luck after moving up three spots on Tuesday night and receiving the No. 4 selection in the 2022 NBA Draft -- the team’s highest pick since 2018.
And with a chance to make a choice that will impact the future of the franchise for years to come, the Kings are doing their due diligence after reportedly interviewing 33 draft prospects at the combine in Chicago, per The Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson.
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Citing sources, Anderson reported that the Kings have conducted interviews with prospects including Kentucky guard Shaedon Sharpe, Iowa forward Keegan Murray, G League point guard prospect Dyson Daniels, LSU forward Tari Eason and Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji.
The team reportedly also interviewed Duke forward AJ Griffin, Baylor guard Kendall Brown, Duke forward Wendell Moore, NC State guard Terquavion Smith and former Purdue big man Trevion Williams, per Fox40’s Sean Cunningham (h/t The Kings Herald).
Sacramento had just a 32 percent chance of moving into the draft’s top four during Tuesday’s lottery, and the odds of landing pick No. 4 was only 8.5 percent.
But the ping pong balls fell in the Kings’ favor.
NBA
Now, they will look to add a pivotal piece to their core of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis and apparently are keeping their options open after the gauntlet of interviews they reportedly conducted over the past few days. This week will be filled with pre-draft workouts in Sacramento and pro days in Southern California, Anderson also reported.
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If the team doesn’t complete a trade for their top pick and remains at No. 4 in the draft, mock experts so far have predicted the Kings taking Sharpe or Murray in the first round, or Purdue guard Jaden Ivy.
Whoever the Kings select on draft day will have an opportunity to make an immediate impact under new head coach Mike Brown and, hopefully, lead Sacramento to its first NBA playoff appearance since 2006.