The Kings are reportedly very high on Keegan Murray at No. 4, but are also discussing deals for Hawks forward John Collins.
With the 2022 NBA Draft now only a few days away, The Athletic’s Shams Charania decided to share some very interesting news with the NBA world, and especially as it pertains to the Sacramento Kings.
Via Charania’s recurring “Inside Pass with Shams” column (emphasis mine):
The Kings are becoming increasingly comfortable drafting at No. 4 in Thursday’s draft and have described a steep price for teams behind them in the lottery who are attempting to trade up, sources said. Sacramento general manager Monte McNair has engaged in conversations around Hawks forward John Collins — among a slew of other established, productive players in the market — but there has been no involvement of the No. 4 pick in the discussions centered on Collins, and McNair will ultimately make the decision on the pick, according to sources.
Less than a week ago, before tip-off of Game 6 of the NBA Finals, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski spoke about how a large number of teams have contacted the Sacramento Kings about trading the pick. For this news to be important enough to break at a Finals game made the idea all the more real for Kings fans.
Up to this point, reporting had consistently implied the Kings could be willing to move the pick. However, now it looks as though the thought of a big time trade is slightly farfetched.
Atlanta’s John Collins, a player that has been on the Kings’ radar for quite some time now looks to be a potential trade target. Collins is one of the league’s most athletic players at the power forward position and can also guard multiple spots. He brings in a lot of what the Kings need. The interesting notion is that the No. 4 pick has not been included in any of the talks with Atlanta. If Sacramento was somehow able to land Collins while keeping De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis along with the pick, the Kings could be looking at their most talented roster since the Chris Webber era.
With his last two first round picks, Kings general manager Monte McNair made great selections with Tyrese Haliburton and Davion Mitchell. With this year being his highest pick yet, there is word he is at ease with the idea of keeping the pick instead of seeking a trade.
That being said, rumor has it McNair and the rest of the organization are in favor of Iowa’s Keegan Murray. Earlier this morning, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports wrote in an article that the Kings have even arranged a private dinner for Murray with Fox and Sabonis:
The Sacramento Kings — owners of the No. 4 pick — are high on Murray and even arranged for the prospect to have dinner with team stars De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Murray has been on Sacramento’s radar since before the draft lottery and has not only the physical tools but also the mental acuity to make an immediate impact in the league. He has been called the “safest” pick for Sacramento in recent weeks. Not only does he play a position the Kings drastically need talent at, but he has the attitude and work ethic this organizations needs. Murray went from having only one scholarship offer to being a consensus first-team All-American and potential top-5 pick in the NBA draft.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook Murray currently has the second-highest odds to get drafted fourth at +300 behind Purdue’s Jaden Ivey who is at -400.
Those odds are in Ivey’s favor by a mile. But depending on how that dinner with the Fox and the Ox goes, they may change drastically.
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