Jaden Ivey Would Prefer Not Going To Kings In NBA Draft

Jaden Ivey, Sacramento Kings, NBA Draft
NBA Analysis Network

The 2022 NBA Draft class seemingly has a top-three consensus developing. Many people believe that Jabari Smith Jr. out of Auburn will be the No. 1 overall pick.

After that, Chet Holmgren out of Gonzaga and Paolo Banchero out of Duke are expected to be selected in some order by the Oklahoma City Thunder, who pick second, and the Houston Rockets, who select third.

As a result, there are a lot of people who believe that the 2022 NBA Draft will truly get underway when the Sacramento Kings are on the clock with the No. 4 overall pick. It sounds like the only player that could crash that top-three is Jaden Ivey out of Purdue.

The Thunder have reportedly tossed around the idea of selecting Ivey second overall. The explosive scoring guard has star potential, drawing some comparisons to Ja Morant and Russell Westbrook. There is a good chance that he is selected fourth overall, whether it is by the Kings or whichever team they make a trade with.

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Should Ivey have his way, it will not be the Kings selecting him. As shared by Jonathan Givony in his latest mock draft for ESPN, Sacramento isn’t the preferred landing spot for the Boilermaker star. He and his camp have seemingly done all they can to steer him away from the Kings.

“The Kings aren’t Ivey’s preferred destination but have proved willing to take players without the benefit of workouts and medical information in the past, doing so as recently as a year ago when selecting Davion Mitchell. Many around the NBA feel that this pick is available for a team looking to swap picks and move up the draft for Ivey.”

Ivey is one of the most popular targets in this draft, so he very well could get his wish if someone is willing to pay the price. The Detroit Pistons, who are slated to pick fifth, would be a good landing spot for Ivey in terms of fit alongside Cade Cunningham in the backcourt.

LATEST NBA DRAFT NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: 3 Trade Packages For Sacramento Kings Using No. 4 Pick

The Washington Wizards and New York Knicks, who will be on the clock with the 10th and 11th respectively, are both in the market for a point guard, a hole in which Jaden Ivey could fill nicely. If one of them can work out a deal with the Sacramento Kings for the 4th pick, Ivey’s camp would likely be very happy.

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