The Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers could be looking to convert some of their 2023 NBA draft assets into ready-made talent, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
Fisher reported that the Pacers “have already explored trades for veteran talent ahead of the February trade deadline.” He added that the Kings are “another team to watch, the sources said, for first-round trade prospects.”
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Indiana is in a particularly strong position when it comes to a potential deal. The team took number 7 in the lottery and picked 26 and 29. Along with the seventh pick, one of the late first-round picks could be a solid payoff.
The fast bowlers can keep that top-10 as well if they don’t want to rush their ongoing rebuild too much. Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman sees him taking Taylor Hendricks as the UCF power forward in his post-lottery mock draft:
“Hendriks has made a splash with the shooting and defensive versatility as well as the space/timing to build on shooting and running past closeouts. Indiana must envision a 3-D forward who will be valuable regardless of his game.” No matter how much you develop from the dribble.”
How Indiana approaches the draft will be a huge barometer of the front office’s vision of the current roster.
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After finishing third in the Western Conference and pushing the defending champion Golden State Warriors to seven games in the first round of the playoffs, Sacramento needs to at least find its way out of the conversation.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley listed three targets for the Kings this summer: Reggie Bullock of the Dallas Mavericks, Ozzie Anunobi of the Toronto Raptors and Mikal Bridges of the Brooklyn Nets.
Getting any of those three would almost certainly mean getting rid of the 24th pick of 2023 along with other pieces. For general manager Monte McNair, it’s worth it to add the kind of wing that could help take Sacramento to another level.
