In the minutes and hours leading up to their No. 13 pick in tonight’s draft, the Kings were engaged in trade talks involving that selection, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link ).
Sacramento ultimately used that pick to select Providence guard Devin Carter and it doesn’t appear that there are any plans to trade him, but it seems safe to assume the Kings will remain on the lookout for help on the wing. Anderson says Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma and Nets sharpshooter Cameron Johnson were among the names he heard linked to the Kings, while Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link ) notes that Sacramento expressed interest in another Net, Dorian Finney-Smith , prior to February’s trade deadline.
Here are a few more draft-day trade rumors:
- The Wizards have emerged as another “viable” trade partner for the Mavericks with Tim Hardaway Jr. , according to Marc Stein (Twitter link ), who previously identified Detroit as a possible landing spot for Hardaway. Unlike the Pistons, Washington doesn’t project to have cap room this offseason, so Dallas would likely have to take back some salary in a deal with the Wizards. As Stein points out, the two teams have already made one trade this year, with Washington sending Daniel Gafford to the Mavs in February.
- Before drafting Ron Holland at No. 5, Detroit talked to the Grizzlies about a trade back to No. 9, but Memphis didn’t present anything “substantial” to convince the Pistons to make a deal, reports James L. Edwards III of The Athletic . The Grizzlies, who were believed to be eyeing Donovan Clingan , also spoke to the Hornets about the No. 6 pick, according to Fischer (Twitter link ). Clingan ultimately went to Portland at No. 7, with Memphis opting for another center, Zach Edey , at No. 9.
- Despite rumors that the Rockets want to turn around and immediately trade the draft assets they got from Brooklyn for a star – possibly Kevin Durant – Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle believes the team will take a longer-term outlook. As Feigen writes in a subscriber-only story, if Houston were prioritizing making a deal in the short term, the Nets picks they gave up would’ve been valuable assets. By kicking those picks down the road, the Rockets created a longer runway to explore the trade market and pursue possible deals.