Washington Wizards are reportedly interested in trading with Sacramento Kings in order to draft Purdue’s Jaden Ivey.
A week from the 2022 NBA Draft, trade rumors are swirling regarding the Sacramento Kings’ plan for the No. 4 pick.
Quinton Mayo, a Washington Wizards insider, reported in his substack Thursday that Washington is very interested in Jaden Ivey, who is widely considered the 4th best player in this year’s draft:
Washington’s front office is really high on 6-foot-4 guard, Jaden Ivey out of Purdue. They’ve spent a significant amount of time discussing possible trade packages to acquire the number four overall pick from Sacramento, Ivey’s assumed draft position, sources tell me. Ivey, 20, regularly pulls comparisons to explosive combo guards Ja Morant and Russell Westbrook.
The fit of Ivey in Washington makes a ton of sense due to their team lacking solid guard play, aside from Bradley Beal, who is expected to sign a massive contract to stay in D.C. this offseason. Ivey’s athletic ability would complement Beal’s shooting and playmaking ability in the backcourt.
What would a trade package coming back to Sacramento look like?
For starters, you would think it would need to include the No. 10 pick this season, plus possibly Kyle Kuzma and one of Deni Avidija or Rui Hachimura, with maybe even another future protected first round pick coming to the Kings. For Sacramento, this package would keep them in the lottery and give them a chance to draft a promising rookie while adding to their currently barren wing depth.
While this type of package certainly adds to Sacramento’s depth, it’s hard to see any of the returning pieces having the long-term star upside of Jaden Ivey, making it an iffy move overall.
Expect to hear even more chatter about the Kings and No. 4 in the next week as we get closer and closer to the draft.