Abbott: Sacramento Kings could look to trade up with OKC Thunder

Ah, so it begins. It is that time of year again, the NBA Offseason brings many rumors, speculations, reports, hopes, and nightmare-inducing content. With the OKC Thunder in line to control the 2022 NBA Draft owning picks 2, 12, 30, and 34 as well as a massive pile of future draft assets, the organization will be involved in nearly every NBA rumor good or bad for the foreseeable future.

Last year, we heard for weeks about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being available and attempting to trade up to get Cade Cunningham by using Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the sixth overall selection. While that was easy to pick apart we later found out Sam Presti was vying for Evan Mobley and had the OKC Thunder won the NBA Lottery a year ago, the most trusted NBA Insider believes he would have been the pick for Presti.

This of course happens every draft cycle. I remember the James Bouknight era in OKC, the Pistons were going to take Jalen Green over Cade Cunningham in an attempt to scare the Rockets and the aforementioned Shai Gilgeous-Alexander trade. Those smoke screens were just from the last calendar year. I was guilty of being told about the Bouknight smokescreen from a reliable source who has since told me legitimate information. There are reasons these reports surface, it is leverage, mind games, and the reporters are all pawns big and small.

Well, it is time for this year’s rumor mill to start up. The Oklahoma City Thunder were lucky enough to leap up two slots in the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery earning the second pick, and we have already heard rumblings of what that pick might be.

Sacramento Kings are attempting to trade up with the OKC Thunder for the second overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft

Don’t worry, I have already purchased my coffee in bulk for the next month and I will be manning the battle station all hours of the night looking for the next rumor or report or crumb of information to share with you as well as asking around those in the know.

Today, Henry Abbott of True Hoop sent out a tweet reporting ”I heard loose talk the Kings are moving up from 4. Among the things we don’t know: who will make that pick? Possible scenario: At 2 the Kings take Holmgren, 3 Rockets to pick Banchero and 4 Thunder takes Jaden Ivey.” This of course sent OKC Thunder Twitter into a spiral and rightful so, hardly three days after being overjoyed and rejuvenated with the NBA Lottery success, there is already talk of trading the pick?

Sure, you have to always trust in Sam Presti and he would only move down if he views the player available at pick four as better than Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith Jr, or Paolo Banchero but it is admittedly a big risk. Especially when history shows us (Like the Luka Doncic swap) that the value in leaping from four to two is only an additional first-round pick.

What does this do for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? How would Jaden Ivey fit as more of an off-ball player? They would surely be moving down for Shaedon Sharpe…right? Who knows anymore. More often than not, leaks regarding the OKC Thunder are fake, but they must be talked about after the Aleksej Pokusevski saga of 2020.

Even from a Kings’ standpoint, the rumor is not consistent with what we have heard about Sacramento, they are attempting to break their playoff drought during the 2022-23 season, does trading an additional asset(s) to get Chet Holmgren get them closer to that goal vs the value of the fourth pick netting you a proven more veteran NBA player?