The Sacramento Kings seemed to luck into Luka Doncic when they landed the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft Lottery, but the Kings appear inclined to go in a different direction. Per a new report, the Kings plan to pick Duke’s Marvin Bagley III.
The pick, in fact, is a “near-lock,” according to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
Am hearing that after Ayton at 1, Bagley is a near-lock at 2. After that, good luck with your guesses.
— Eddie Sefko (@ESefko) June 18, 2018
Bagley worked out for the Kings last week. Some prospects have made it clear they would rather not play in Sacramento — who wants to go to a dysfunctional franchise? All indications are that Bagley, however, would be thrilled to join the Kings.
This report follows multiple reports that the Phoenix Suns are dead-set on selecting DeAndre Ayton with the No. 1 pick. So, with two days to go until the draft begins, we may already know the first two picks.
An all-but-certain destination isn’t the only thing Ayton and Bagley have in common. The two star freshmen, both of whom were finalists for the Naismith Player of the Year award, have both signed with Puma’s re-birthed basketball division, the company announced Monday.
Bagley averaged 21.0 points and 11.1 rebounds per game at Duke. He posted an impressive Player Efficiency Rating of 30.6.
Doncic, meanwhile, continues to see his stock fall. Where will the Slovenian star’s slide end?
Draft Details
The NBA Draft will kick off Thursday at 7 p.m. EST. Below is the full lottery order.
1. Phoenix
2. Sacramento
3. Atlanta
4. Memphis
5. Dallas
6. Orlando
7. Chicago
8. Cleveland
9. New York
10. Philadelphia
11. Charlotte
12. Los Angeles Clippers
13. Los Angeles Clippers
Expect plenty of moves on draft night. The Cavs, in particular, are a strong candidate to make a trade.
Given that Cleveland does not know where LeBron will sign, the Cavs are reportedly considering moves for Kawhi Leonard and Kemba Walker.
