The Sacramento Kings were awarded the #4 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, the teams has been aggressive with shopping the fourth-overall pick for a player like Jerami Grant from the Detroit Pistons, or they could trade down in the draft to teams looking to move into the top five.
The Kings are looking to end the longest current playoff drought in the NBA since they last made the playoffs in 2006. In early May, the Kings hired Mike Brown to become their next head coach hoping that the Golden State Warriors assistant coach can help lead them to their first playoff berth in 17 seasons.
The Kings finished last season 30-52, but they weren’t close to being the worst team in the Western Conference. The Houston Rockets won just 20 games, while the Oklahoma City Thunder won 24 games, and the Portland Trail Blazers won 27 games.
The Kings are a long shot to win the 2023 NBA championship at +80000 odds. Only the Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, and Oklahoma City Thunder have worse odds as a moon shot.
Rebuild Around Fox and Sabonis with Jaden Ivey?
Prior to the trade deadline, the Kings were able to acquire All-Star Domantas Sabonis from the Indiana Pacers along with Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb in exchange for Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson. The Kings held on to De’Aaron Fox and want to rebuild a team around Sabonis and Fox.
The Kings struggle to attract A-list free agents to “Cow Town”, so they had to get creative and acquire a talented player like Sabonis through a trade. Will they make another bold trade to add a veteran before the upcoming NBA Draft? The Kings are exploring all possibilities, which makes it a little bit easier with the rights to the #4 pick.
The Kings could draft someone from the Big Ten. Jaden Ivey, Purdue’s leading scorer, is the betting favorite at -330 odds to get drafted with the #4 pick if the Kings hold on to it. Keegan Murray from Iowa is also a popular picks at +500 odds to get selected fourth. Kentucky prospect Shaedon Sharpe is +250 odds to go fourth. If another team wants to take a flier on Sharpe, then the Kings are willing to trade the pick and move down in the draft.
Kings Like Jerami Grant or Malcolm Brogdon
The Ringer reported that the Kings could add Malcolm Brogdon to the mix. The Pacers have the #6 pick and could ship Brogdon and the sixth pick to the Kings for the #4 pick and a throw-in player to even the trade. Brogdon is also rumored to get traded to the New York Knicks if they cannot figure out how to cajole the Utah Jazz into trading Donovan Mitchell.
The Kings really love Jerami Grant and could add him to their starting lineup. The small forward looked great in his first season with the Pistons when he averaged 22.9 ppg in 2020-21. But, he played just 54 games two seasons ago, and played in just 47 games this past season due to injuries.
The LA Lakers eyed Grant prior to the trade deadline, but they did not have enough draft capital to make a trade enticing enough for the Pistons. However, the Kings have a fourth pick and couple other throw-in players to complete a trade for Grant. The Pistons already have the fifth pick, so they could draft two top five players to go along with last year’s #1 pick Cade Cunningham.
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