Rodney Hood and Zach LaVine were part of a six-player pre-draft workout with the Kings on Friday. Here's what they had to say.

The Sacramento Kings brought in six players for a pre-draft workout on Friday.

The standout players involved were Duke's Rodney Hood and UCLA's Zach LaVine. Most mock drafts have Hood coming off the board in the 11-14 range and LaVine in the 15-20 range.

Kings assistant general manager Mike Bratz said he liked what he saw in the workout, which also included Arizona guard Nick Johnson; forward Elijah Pittman of the D-League; Cal forward Richard Solomon; and the enormous center (7'5'', 360 pounds) out of New Mexico State, Sim Bhullar.

There we some current Kings players on hand to watch the workout, including Ben McLemore and Ray McCallum.

Bratz said the Kings like several players in the draft this year and that they have been trying to get guys back to Sacramento for second looks, but scheduling has been an issue and agents are trying to "tone it down a little bit."

Below are some comments from Bratz, Hood and LaVine from the workout.

Mike Bratz

On Hood's defense (a knock on his game): "Rodney's pretty versatile. He'll probably play mainly the three when he starts out, but I think he'll play the two eventually. He's like a lot of college kids, I mean, they're going to have to adjust to the talent level when they get in the NBA. Things are a little harder and the athletes are better, but Rodney is a real good athlete himself, very intelligent player. So he'll figure it out."

On how Hood compares to Jabari Parker: "Jabari is a little bigger, maybe better inside. Rodney maybe has a little bit more range, but they both can make outside shots. But Jabari is a really good player and Rodney is as well. But I think Jabarai's got the versatility inside and outside. Rodney drives the ball really well into the lane and can finish, but Jabari, I think he's a special player."

On LaVine playing as a combo guard: "I think eventually, he's going to be a combo guard. He handles great, he's got good vision. I think he's probably a little more comfortable right now at the two. But his ball handling and passing - I think he can be a good combo eventually."

On LaVine's defense and if he can stay in front of his man in the NBA (a knock on his game): "Oh yeah, his athleticism is off the charts so I mean, he's got things to learn. He just played his freshman year at UCLA. He lack experience, but there is nothing he can't pick up."

On the Kings' recent meeting with Doug McDermott and Nik Stauskas:"We did make the trip back there and watched them both work out and those two are probably the best shooters in the draft. Shooting is something that every team needs. It's something that we need more of and those two can really shoot the ball. They are impressive."

On Sim Bhullar: "The guy is huge. To his credit, he's really worked hard these last couple of months. He's in pretty good condition, he's moving much, much better up and down the floor. He's got a chance, you just don't see guys that big ... I have seen him before and all our guys have watched him on tape and we were impressed with his movement on the floor today."

On Nick Johnson: "I like Nick's intelligence and he's a super athlete. The guy is very athletic. I think he can play both guard positions. He's a very smart player, he sees the floor and he's a big-time competitor. He's going to be a real good defender in the league. I think there is going to be a spot for him in the NBA for sure."

On the impact Joel Embiid's surgery will have on the draft: "I think the teams above us are going to have to gauge how much risk they feel there is. I think the farther he drops, the less the risk for the team. But I think if things just fall to order, you know, the top four or five guys are going to go in the same position they were anyway."

Rodney Hood

His impressions of Sacramento: "It was great, just being here and get familiar with the people on the staff and to meet coach and the general manager. It was just a great visit for me and the workout was great. We had lots of competitive guys in here. Getting towards the end, so guys are a little tired but it was a good workout."

On what stood out: "This is my first time being in California. Being from Mississippi you only hear about California. I mean it's a great city, the people seem nice, everyone around the Kings organization seem nice so it was just a great visit."

What he was trying to showcase: "I just try to showcase what I can do: shoot the ball. I don't go to teams and try to reinvent myself and show what I've been working on, you know, just come and shoot the ball that's why people are really excited about me and that's what I've been doing. I have time throughout the summer to work on my ball handling, I got to continue to work on my body and things like that."

On why he initially rescheduled with the Kings: "I just rescheduled it. I had like four workouts in six days, body was a little tired, so just see if I could reschedule … that was it."

On getting better on defense: "Off the ball is where I need to work. On the ball, I do a good job of staying in front and making people shoot over the top. But just off the ball, just keeping my focus. I need to work on it, it's not a secret, but I'm making strides."

Next stop: Minnesota. Hood said other teams have been calling him for a second workout. Has had nine workouts total.

Zach LaVine

On his name being mentioned a lot more these days: "There's a lot of doubters out there. I don't like doubters. I try to make doubters eat their words, and I feel like I'm a really hard-working person so, you know, when I hear different things about me I just try to delete those, do the best I can and go out there and show people just who Zach LaVine is."

On if there are things people are noticing other than his vertical leap: "Just recently people started noticing my athleticism. I've been known as a really good ball handler and a great shooter. I'm glad people are noticing my athleticism now ... I feel like I'm an all-around player. I'm trying to work on every aspect of my game."

On if his goal is to be a combo guard at the next level: "I do that now already, so I my ultimate goal is to be the best I can be. Going into the NBA, whatever position coach wants me to play, if that's point or if that's off guard, whatever, I'll go as best I can and just out there and compete with my guys and try to win."

Feedback he got from the Kings staff: "I think they really liked me... these are great guys out here, you know, I enjoy all of them, they're really cool people. You talk to them like they're your close friends so it's definitely a great environment out here."

On improving his defense: "I feel like I have the tools to be a great on-ball defender. Right now, I'm definitely showing people I can play defense whenever I need to … People say in my scouting report, ‘he doesn't play defense very well,' but that's why I don't like doubters, so I go out here and try to prove it. I really don't care what the critics say as long as the teams think I am on the court playing good defense. I'm OK with that and I feel like I've done that so far - I've been playing tough on D."

Compares himself to:Jamal Crawford

What's next: Back to Los Angeles, then to Phoenix, Atlanta and New York. He said he has had 12-13 workouts so far.

***

The Kings announced another pre-draft workout for Monday that will include Michigan State guard Keith Appling; Nevada guard Deonte Burton; Memphis guard Mike Dixon Jr.; Iowa State guard DeAndre Kane; Utah State forward/center Jarred Shaw; and Texas Southern center Aaric Murray.

Rudy's coming back!

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports broke the news just now that Rudy Gay will exercise his 2014-15 player option for $19.3 million and remain with the Kings for at least one more year.

From Yahoo!:

After July 1, the Kings and Gay will be able to negotiate a full four-year contract extension. Gay has been in constant contact with Kings management, and has been impressed with new owner Vivek Ranadive's commitment to constructing a contender, sources said.

The Kings consider Gay a cornerstone of the franchise's future and prolonging the process on extension discussions gives him a chance to further evaluate the team's progress on improving the roster before he fully commits to a deal. If Gay is unable to complete an extension in the next year, he'll become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2015.

Opting in to his option for next season is the most prudent option for Rudy.  This way he can continue to negotiate with the Kings as well as evaluate them without being locked down.  He will have the option for both long term security and freedom if he thinks the Kings aren't progressing enough as a team all while making $19.3 million in 2014-15, a sum he was incredibly unlikely to get from any other team.

With Gay back on board, the Kings now only have one more major Free Agency decision to make and that's of Isaiah Thomas.  Gay's $19.3 million eliminates any potential cap space the Kings might have, and re-signing Thomas could bring the Kings at or above the Luxury Tax line depending on the amount.  However, because Rudy's option is so large, the Kings don't really have any room to sign other Free Agents, so roster improvements will have to come largely from trades, which is why we are seeing the 8th pick being so heavily involved in trade rumors.  This Rudy news makes it clear the Kings are looking to become good sooner rather than later and as such I would be very surprised if the Kings hold on to the 8th pick.

Welcome back Rudy!

Rudy Gay couldn't turn down $19.3 million for one year, so he's exercising his player option with the Kings instead of hitting free agency.

Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay will pass up free agency and exercise the $19.3 million player option in his contract for next season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The deal ensures Gay will stick with the team at least through 2014-15, though Wojnarowski says negotiations on a long-term deal will continue later this summer.

Gay, 27, was acquired by the Kings in a midseason trade after proving unable to fit with the Toronto Raptors. A high-volume scorer who earned a massive contract in 2010 as one of the league's top young wings, Gay has since seen his progress stall and his reputation fall apart.

Considered overpaid and inefficient by the middle of last season, Gay actually showed some serious signs of life after joining the Kings in early December. No longer burdened with having to carry the offense on a team also featuring DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas, he quickly adjusted to filling a much more useful role.

Over 55 games with Sacramento last season, Gay averaged 20.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, showing more versatility than he had in years.

And more importantly, Gay showed a much more efficient scoring game, fostered by a greater willingness to attack the rim. Gay shot 48 percent in his time with Sacramento last season, way up from the 41 percent he shot during his stint in Toronto.

Gay also had more assists than turnovers, something he's only done twice over a full season, and averaged over five free throws per contest, a new career-high. All around, it's clear the different role had a positive effect on the way Gay performed.

For all those reasons, and some others related to long-term cap space, Gay returning to Sacramento on his player option is undoubtedly good news for the Kings. While the salary might be a tad exorbitant, it also allows the Kings to retain a high-quality player without a long-term commitment, freeing up opportunities in the future to partner Cousins with better players.

Then again, Wojnarowski says the Kings consider Gay "a cornerstone of the franchise's future," and plan to negotiate a long-term deal with him later this summer. It's unclear what the terms of that contract would be, but Gay would obviously take a significant pay cut from the max-level salary he's receiving right now.

Either way, the Kings appear to be getting some good news Sunday, as Gay is in for 2014-15. With that certainty and stability in place, the team can turn its attention elsewhere while preparing to potentially offer Gay a long-term deal. And if that doesn't work out, Sacramento should have a ton of cap space in the summer of 2015 when Gay walks.

It may not seem like it, but Rudy Gay opting in may actually help the Kings with financial flexibility.

Rudy Gay has opted in to the final year of his current contract, to the tune of $19.3 million.  This puts the Kings within spitting distance of the salary cap, without adding in a potential offer match for Isaiah Thomas.  The Kings are essentially without the cap flexibility to make a major move in free agency.  That's fine, because the Kings are not yet a good enough team to be attractive to potential free agents.  We'll have to see what happens during and immediately after the draft on Thursday, but Rudy opting in essentially hamstrings the Kings financially.  But ultimately, it helps the Kings financially.  Let me explain.

The Kings wanted to keep Rudy Gay, that much is a given.  A lot of us, myself included, had hoped that Rudy might opt out and then re-sign with the Kings for a smaller per-year figure, but over a longer portion of time.  The Kings can continue to negotiate a long-term extension with Rudy, and reports indicate that they will.  But they can now negotiate without fear of losing Rudy this offseason, which would have been disastrous for the team's progress.  Fear and urgency are what lead to teams bidding against themselves, and overpaying based on emotion.

The added time also allows the Kings a longer period to evaluate Rudy.  He seems like a great fit in Sacramento, and I have little concern about his ability to continue his play from last season.  But nonetheless, Rudy played just 55 games in Sacramento. It's perfectly reasonable to wonder if that stretch was a fluke.

But really, this added time helps the Kings in two ways.  First, the Kings can probably expect a lower per-year figure on a new deal than if Rudy had opted out and agreed to a new deal this year.  Rudy will be another year older, and will have just enjoyed a year on payroll at $19.3 million.  A new deal this summer would have had that $19 million hanging over it, that the new deal had to somehow cover for at least some of that lost money.  That will no longer be a factor in negotiations.

Secondly, if the Kings decide to move forward without Rudy after this season, they'll have an incredible amount of cap space and flexibility.  If we assume the Kings will not tender an offer to Derrick Williams, the Kings are looking at $36 million in expiring contracts this year.

Obviously, that number could be in flux.  Any of those expiring deals might be included in trades on draft day, or throughout the season.  But that future flexibility will be hugely important for the team moving forward.  Cap flexibility became a dirty word around here under the Maloofs, but the organization is now aggressively looking to improve.  Cap flexibility means maneuverability in trades, it means the ability to add role players, it means the ability to extend and retain players who perform well.  Even without Rudy opting in, the Kings have $17 million in expiring contracts, but Rudy is a huge chip if the right opportunity comes along.  You never know.

Ultimately, I'm just glad that Rudy Gay is still a King.  I believe in him.  And I think the Kings are a better team with him on the roster.  The financial elements are simply a bonus.

It's NBA Draft Week and as such the rumors will be flying back and forth up until Thursday night's event.  The Kings are widely known to be shopping their pick, and Sunday's news that Rudy Gay is staying for another year adds even more incentive to use the pick to get immediate help.

One team that the Kings could be looking at trading with is the Chicago Bulls, who are reportedly interested in trading up to land Creighton star Doug McDermott.

From Sean Deveney of SportingNews:

Chicago has had multiple talks with Orlando, both about the No. 12 pick and shooting guard Arron Afflalo, and with Denver about No. 11, but a source told Sporting News that the Bulls have also engaged with the Kings in a potential deal for the No. 8 pick.

Chicago's focus in such a scenario would be Creighton star Doug McDermott, who averaged 21.7 points and shot 55.0 percent from the field (45.8 percent from the 3-point line) in four years with the Blue Jays. The Bulls also have interest in Michigan State's Gary Harris and Michigan's Nik Stauskas, who has made Chicago his home base during the draft process.

The Bulls own several assets that could entice the Kings, especially since they're a very defensive minded team.  Chicago has players like Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler, as well as the #16 and #19 picks in the draft.  They could be looking to clear some space as well for a possible run at Carmelo Anthony.

The veteran wing will make a lot of money next year and put the Sacramento Kings over the salary cap, but for a team in transition having Rudy Gay around for one year is better than not.

On Sunday news broke that Rudy Gay will be taking that $19.3 million on the table for 2014-15, and will wait to negotiate a contract extension with the Kings. Some took this as bad news for Sacramento, who are now over the salary cap without accounting for free agent point guard Isaiah Thomas. Sacramento, on the other hand, took this as good news: had Gay hit the market, the Kings might have had to tie their hands long-term just to ensure he stuck around one more season. Now there's another year of assessment and, perhaps, movement.

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It's worth noting that DeMarcus Cousins a) professed to want Gay back and b) had the best season of his career alongside the wing scorer. It's also worth noting that the Kings have no one in the wings on the wing: Ben McLemore, a rookie, finished 2014 as the starting two-guard, and Travis Outlaw might be the next best option out there. (Sorry, Derrick Williams. You're still better as a power forward.) Sacramento has struggled to fill the small forward spot since Ron Artest left for Houston years ago. There is, if nothing else, some psychic value to having a good small forward on the team.

Some outsiders (and perhaps within the Kings fandom) consider Gay opting in to be a bad thing because, as mentioned, it puts Sacramento over the cap. But the Kings will still be able to retain Thomas if the price is amenable. It would not be terribly surprising to see Thomas go, however.

Remember that current GM Pete D'Alessandro brought in a pass-first point guard (Greivis Vasquez) in his first trade upon taking the job. The current coach, Michael Malone, started the pass-first guard over Thomas. I.T. eventually won the starting job by acclamation, and went on to have a brilliant offensive season. He's a fine player, and could be even better if paired with a top defensive two-guard like Arron Afflalo or Tony Allen. (The Kings don't have a top defensive two-guard. Or a top defensive anything, really.)

The thing about the Kings right now is that they are not one move away from becoming a playoff team. The roster is still in incredible flux, with a bunch of mid-rung contracts on the books. There's Jason Thompson, who has survived about 20 attempts on his job since being drafted in 2008. There's Carl Landry, who was signed to a substantial free agent deal a year ago but immediately got injured and essentially missed the season. There's Jason Terry, either a needed veteran addition or an expiring contract that helped free Marcus Thornton. There's Williams and Outlaw. There's Reggie Evans.

There is a lot of potential for Kings moves, especially with McLemore or the No. 8 pick available for big game. It would probably be more difficult to move Gay — that's a lot of salary to trade, even though the contract is expiring. But having Gay on the books is better than not, and having him on the books for high salary for one year is probably better than four. That it also allows the Kings to be better this year and keep Cousins happy as the franchise attempts to build a winner are good things.

So while it may look like Rudy Gay at $19.3 million is a problem for the Kings, it's the best-case scenario given the circumstances. And for what it's worth, it's the expected path: D'Alessandro traded for Gay a year ago knowing the player had a massive option he'd likely pick up. Chances are that Pete D. has a plan for just this situation. I prefer giving new GMs the benefit of the doubt as they execute their strategy.

The Bulls have reportedly had talks with the Kings about the No. 8 pick, with eyes on the Creighton star.

It has been reported all over that the Bulls aren't keen on bringing in two rookies to be on the roster next season, and ESPN's Chad Ford has already said they've looked at moving up to No. 11 to draft either Nik Stauskas or Gary Harris. We now have a new rumor from the Sporting News' Sean Deveney, who says the Bulls have talked to the Kings about the No. 8 pick. The target? Doug McDermott.

The Bulls need offense, and McDermott provided boatloads of it in his four years at Creighton. McDermott is one of the top shooters in the draft along with Stauskas, and the 22-year-old was the best scorer in college basketball last season. McDermott averaged 26.7 points on 52.6 percent shooting overall while knocking down 44.9 percent of his threes en route to the National Player of the Year award. His junior and sophomore seasons were very prolific as well, and he averaged 21.7 points on 55.0 percent shooting in his four seasons at Creighton.

So what's not to like about an efficient scorer who can shoot the hell out of the ball? There are a good amount of questions about how McDermott's effectiveness will translate to the NBA. He's not a bad athlete by any means, but he's not great and there are questions about what position he'll play. He's also not that great off the dribble and will likely struggle to defend at the next level.

In terms of making a deal with the Kings, Deveney curiously doesn't mention trading Taj Gibson, instead just mentioning the two first-rounders the Bulls currently own. I myself have been skeptical about the Kings wanting to trade the No. 8 pick for Gibson, but if Taj wasn't involved in the talks, I'm not sure why the Kings would want to trade back and take on an extra pick when they've talked about looking to add veterans. Perhaps the Bulls would be willing to offer Nikola Mirotic, but is that worth it?

The Bulls would certainly prefer to keep Gibson and sell off other parts in order to acquire Carmelo Anthony, but it may not be possible. Making a deal with the Kings for No. 8 to open up cap space (or include in a Kevin Love deal?) wouldn't be a bad idea, although I do have to note that Sacramento would have to offload salary in order to take on Gibson. That salary would ideally not go to the Bulls, so a third team would have to get involved.

But if the Bulls are looking to use that No. 8 pick, McDermott wouldn't be my guy, although Ricky called the McBuckets interest awhile ago. I wouldn't mind McDermott at all if he fell to No. 16, but I wouldn't be too stoked about trading up for him. I'd probably get over it if Bulls wound up getting Anthony, however, I still wouldn't consider it a good pick.

SB Nation's NBA Network conducted a mock draft with bloggers from each team site making or trading "their" team's pick. We continue with the next pick in the 2014 NBA Mock Draft with Liberty Ballers selecting guard Dario Saric after a trade.

NBA Mock Draft Pick #9 -- Dario Saric, Guard, Cibona Zagreb

SB Nation's 76ers blog Liberty Ballers explains the pick:

There has been a three-way trade agreed in principle between the Fake Sixers, Fake Kings, and Fake Bulls.

Philadelphia gets: #8, #19, 2015 Portland 2nd (via CHI), Jason Thompson, Carlos Boozer, Jason Terry, Quincy Acy

Bulls get: #10

Sacramento gets: #16, Taj Gibson, Jason Richardson

With the 8th pick in the 2014 Fake As Hell But Really Super Serious SBNBA Mock Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select Dario Saric.

Man, this gives Hinkie and Brown an awful lot of guys that can handle the ball. But that's what we're looking for. Players that can pass and move and not be liabilities on either end of the court. Saric, who we believe will choose to come overseas and start right away, is the smartest basketball player in the draft, and has a tremendous amount of versatility and skill right now that will make it hard for any one guy to defend him.

He's a streaky shooter, but like Exum, pretty solid off the catch. He might have the most superstar potential outside of the traditionally thought of Top Four because of the variety of ways in which he can score. He can take you into the post, he can take you off the dribble, and he's a really willing passer able to create for others. The beauty of an offense centered around passing and cutting between MCW, Exum, and Saric as Nerlens Noel uses defenders' heads as stepstools for putbacks brings a tear to our eye.

And defensively, we recognize he needs to get stronger in the post, because we see him predominantly covering 4's at the next level. Laterally, he's just not quick enough to keep up with NBA 3's on the perimeter. He's a solid rebounder and has shown some shotblocking prowess as well.

Also, I'd be lying if I said the thought of drafting two international prospects to the chagrin of xenophobic Philadelphia mainstream media members wasn't a strong draw for this pick. Here's Sacramento's explanation from Akis:

The Kings primary motivation is to get better and to get better soon. Even though Marcus Smart is on the board, the opportunity to acquire a veteran of Taj Gibson's quality was too good to pass up, especially since the Kings would not completely fall out of the draft and only drop to 16. Gibson gives the Kings a solid two-way players and one of the better defensive bigs in the league, a good partner for the more offensively minded Cousins. Sacramento also gets to shed Jason Thompson's contract. Jason isn't a bad player, but he desperately needs a fresh start. The Kings swapped expiring contracts of Terry and Acy for Richardson as with Gibson and Landry and even Derrick Williams the Kings are pretty much set at PF, and Richardson gives them a veteran SG for a year as well as an expiring contract for possible use in another trade down the line.

More: Full NBA Draft Coverage

1 Cleveland Cavaliers: ANDREW WIGGINS 
2 Milwaukee Bucks JABARI PARKER
3 Philadelphia 76ers DANTE EXUM
4 Orlando Magic JULIUS RANDLE
5 Utah Jazz JOEL EMBIID
6 Minnesota Timberwolves (Via Celtics) AARON GORDON
7 Los Angeles Lakers NOAH VONLEH
8 Philadelphia 76ers DARIO SARIC
9 Charlotte Hornets
10 Philadelphia 76ers
11 Denver Nuggets
12 Orlando Magic
13 Minnesota Timberwolves
14 Phoenix Suns
15 Atlanta Hawks
16 Chicago Bulls
17 Boston Celtics
18 Phoenix Suns
19 Chicago Bulls
20 Toronto Raptors
21 Oklahoma City Thunder
22 Memphis Grizzlies
23 Utah Jazz
24 Charlotte Hornets
25 Houston Rockets
26 Miami Heat
27 Phoenix Suns
28 Los Angeles Clippers
29 Oklahoma City Thunder
30 San Antonio Spurs

Eyeing multiple draft picks or a veteran, Sacramento is willing to deal their No. 8 overall pick in the draft.

The Sacramento Kinds have the No. 8 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft on the market, and have whittled their trade options down to three possibilities, ESPN's Andy Katz reports.

No teams or specifics are mentioned, but Katz's sources say two of the three could be completed before Thursday's draft-day deadline, with one possible on draft night, depending on which players are available.

The Kings' targets appear to be multiple draft picks, and possibly a veteran player. As Katz reports, the discussions have become more significant than mere phone chatter, but some will ultimately be dependent on what happens in the draft lottery ahead of them.

It seems pretty evident that the Kings aren't in love with the prospects they expect to be available at No. 8, but as always, the NBA Draft can be a crap shoot. Players tend to take pretty big tumbles from time to time, which can benefit the teams toward the back of the lottery. The Kings might want to wait a bit for what their intel tells them for those two deals, leaving them with the possible third option.

Completely butt pulled guess on the three teams Kings might have deals for the #8 lined up: Chicago, Phoenix, Philly

— Akis Yerocostas (@Aykis16) June 24, 2014

My reason for guessing those teams is that they all have multiple first rounders in this draft so Kings could get a player and a pick

— Akis Yerocostas (@Aykis16) June 24, 2014

Haha, "butt pulled."

Isaiah discusses the possibility of playing for the [Redacted]. No, not the [Redacted] brothers, the Los Angeles [Redacted].

Isaiah Thomas opened up about his upcoming foray into restricted free agency in an interesting interview with Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.  It starts off with pretty standard stuff, Isaiah talking about how he's not sure what to expect, and that he's been happy in Sacramento, but then things take an ominous turn.

"It would mean a lot," Thomas said of receiving an offer sheet from the Lakers.

I'll wait a moment as you collect yourselves.

This is a worst-case scenario for a lot of Kings fans.  Many would be devastated to lose Isaiah, but to lose him to our most despised rival would be an extra level of pain.  But it's good that it's been brought up.  The Lakers are an obvious destination.  They've got a lot of cap space, very few players under contract, and won't be happy making zero progress.  Isaiah is the type of target who L.A. could reasonably expect to land.

Of course, there's no telling what the Lakers might value Thomas at, and the Kings will still have the option to match any offer.  And one of the few players the Lakers do have under contract is Steve Nash, a Hall of Famer that Isaiah may not immediately start over, even though Nash is a shadow of his former self.

If Isaiah ends up with the Lakers, we won't be able to blame Isaiah or the Lakers.  It will entirely fall on the Kings organization.  But the Lakers wouldn't be a good reason to overpay Isaiah.  If a rival wants to overpay a player, you let them, no matter how much it might hurt to see that player in another uniform.

Personally, the more telling passage of the interview was a little more subtle.  It's the first time I can recall any sort of dig at the Kings organization, subtle or otherwise, coming from Isaiah.

"I just want to be wanted. I want to be wanted for being 5'9 and I want to be wanted for being a scoring point guard. That's all that I can say. If that's the Lakers, I'd be happy. If that's the Kings, then I'd be happy. I just want to be wanted and I want to win."

The Kings have attempted to replace Isaiah Thomas at every step along the way.  He was an afterthought with the 60th pick, but outplayed 10th overall pick Jimmer Fredette.  He outlasted Aaron Brooks, and Greivis Vasquez.  Of course, only the Vasquez acquisition was under the current regime, but that feeling of overcoming replacements is all Isaiah has known as a King.

But there was a quote I really loved in the article. Discussing his relationship with Michael Malone, Isaiah was glowing.

"Since day one, he kept it 100 percent real with me. In the exit meeting, he said, ‘Man, you turned me into the biggest Isaiah Thomas fan.' He was the first guy that really let me be me and embraced me for being me."

The Lakers are a threat to steal away Isaiah Thomas, this is true.  But the Kings still control their future as it relates to the Pizza Guy.  Isaiah is going to do what's best for him, and the Kings are going to make the decision that's best for the franchise.  Neither side should be faulted.  It's just the ugly nature of the business.

SB Nation's NBA Network conducted a mock draft with bloggers from each team site making or trading "their" team's pick. We continue with the next pick in the 2014 NBA Mock Draft with Sactown Royalty selecting guard Elfrid Payton from La Lafayette following a trade.

NBA Mock Draft Pick #16, Elfrid Payton, Guard, La Lafayette

SB Nation's Kings blog Sactown Royalty explains the pick following an earlier trade with Blog A Bull:

With the 16th pick in the NBA Draft the Sacramento Kings select Elfrid Payton.

Payton gives the Kings a big PG that can play defense and distribute the ball who has a lot of potential should he improve his shooting. He's big enough that he can guard both backcourt positions and gives the Kings depth in the backcourt whether or not the team decides to re-sign Isaiah Thomas. He theoretically should be able to play with any other member of the Kings backcourt, whether it be Isaiah Thomas, Ben McLemore or Ray McCallum.

More: Full NBA Draft Coverage

1 Cleveland Cavaliers: ANDREW WIGGINS 
2 Milwaukee Bucks JABARI PARKER
3 Philadelphia 76ers DANTE EXUM
4 Orlando Magic JULIUS RANDLE
5 Utah Jazz JOEL EMBIID
6 Minnesota Timberwolves (Via Celtics) AARON GORDON
7 Los Angeles Lakers NOAH VONLEH
8 Philadelphia 76ers (via Kings) DARIO SARIC
9 Charlotte Hornets DOUG MCDERMOTT
10 Chicago Bulls (via 76ers) MARCUS SMART
11 Denver Nuggets ZACH LAVINE 
12 Orlando Magic TYLER ENNIS
13 Phoenix Suns (via Timberwolves) ADREIAN PAYNE
14 Phoenix Suns NIK STAUSKAS
15 Atlanta Hawks GARY HARRIS
16 Sacramento Kings (via Chicago Bulls) ELFRID PAYTON
17 Boston Celtics
18 Phoenix Suns
19 Chicago Bulls
20 Toronto Raptors
21 Oklahoma City Thunder
22 Memphis Grizzlies
23 Utah Jazz
24 Charlotte Hornets
25 Houston Rockets
26 Miami Heat
27 Phoenix Suns
28 Los Angeles Clippers
29 Oklahoma City Thunder
30 San Antonio Spurs

It was a chaotic mock draft this year for the SB Nation Bloggers, as trades galore and a major injury turned this fun exercise into a bit of a mess.

Each year, SB Nation does a mock draft, featuring representatives from each teams' blog picking for their respective clubs. I have handled draft duties for Mavs Moneyball the last two years. In 2012, I picked Tyler Zeller (and technically, so did the real Mavs), although at that time trades were not allowed in our mock draft. Had they been, I would have likely traded back, as Dallas ended up doing. In 2013, trading became legal in our mock draft, but after failing to move up I stayed at pick #13 and took Shabazz Muhammad. The jury is still out on that one, but given how historically bad the 2013 rookie class performed, Muhammad's relatively decent if infrequent play could make him one of the more promising players from that group.

This year, with trades allowed and a draft class as highly prized as any in the last decade, things were poised to get very interesting. And that they did.

I will say, for my part, I was intent on trading up into the first round. For one, I think this is a tremendous draft to acquire first round picks for, and would be thrilled if the actual club did just that, but perhaps just as importantly, since the SB Nation Mock Draft only features the first round, I wouldn't have had anything to write about otherwise. So, the question became: who to trade up for?

The first few picks went about as expected (more on this later). The first moderate surprise came when Orlando took Julius Randle fourth. Then when the Celtics came up at pick #6, what I'd like to call "Blogger Draft Fever" took over. The Celtics executed a trade for Kevin Love with Minnesota, who then took Aaron Gordon with the sixth pick. Then with pick #8, the Kings engaged in a three-way trade with Philadelphia and Chicago that essentially turned the draft on its head.  The 76ers ended up with the eighth pick (and the 19th), the Bulls took #10, and the Kings got #16. For more on this, check out the Mock Draft breakdown.

At this point it seemed like the wheels of sanity on this little project had come loose, and it was at this point I decided to try and make a really big splash. I had noticed that Marcus Smart was falling a little. I am a huge Marcus Smart fan, and thought he would be a prize worth giving up just about anything Dallas had. I tried unsuccessfully to make a move with Charlotte at pick #9, but saw that they took Doug McDermott instead. Chicago also rebuffed me, but their head writer had told me they intended to take Nik Stauskas. So Smart apparently was still falling.

My next email was to Orlando at pick #12. My offer was focused around Brandan Wright, Dallas' 2015 first rounder, and Shane Larkin. I was even willing to put Monta Ellis on the table, though this would likely mean taking back salary from Orlando. I imagine had I traded Monta, there would have been some significant backlash, but my rationale was that Marcus Smart could do a lot of the same things Monta can (drive to the basket, create plays for himself or others in pick and roll situations, etc.) with the added benefit of being a potentially superb defender. For all the good things Monta did for Dallas last season, I still think there is cause for concern going forward, as building a team that both features him and adequately covers up his shortcomings will be difficult.

In any event, Orlando did not seem too interested in this proposal. At this point I confessed to Tim Cato that this was a sobering lesson on how barren Dallas' trade asset cupboard was, and made the analogy that it felt like being the fat pimply nerd with rabid acne trying to ask out the head cheerleader.

Salvation came in the form of an email from Philadelphia. The 76ers were apparently negotiating a deal with Toronto for the 20th pick, and were looking to turn that pick into a 2015 first rounder. Now armed with this pick, I went back to Orlando, and suddenly the conversation changed. If Smart continued to fall, it now seemed at least possible that I had a shot at landing him. It was as exciting as a completely fake transaction brokered via internet collaboration could be.

Just as I was starting to imagine how I would write my "in defense of trading Monta" piece, Tim emailed me with bad news: Chicago had reversed course, apparently having not realized Smart was still on the board, and was taking the Oklahoma State point guard. The feeling of sadness that came over me is probably a lot like what the real GMs experience, only not delusional and pathetic.

Back at the drawing board, I decided that if I couldn't have Marcus Smart, I'd try making a splash by pairing the 20th pick with a second first round draft pick, somewhere in the 20s. I quickly narrowed my focus to two players I saw as possible late-round steals: Jordan Adams and Clint Capela. Adams was the well-rounded scorer and ball-thief who could offer much needed bench scoring to Dallas once Vince Carter decided to retire. Capela was the super-athletic big who could block shots and finish above the rim.

I had some discussion about who to take first, assuming I would later get a second pick.  I settled on Capela, as I thought he would be the more sought-after prospect. I made initial inquiries about pick #21, #22 and #24, hoping Brandan Wright and the 34th pick would be enough to make it happen.

Then, news broke about Joel Embiid's foot injury.  Embiid had gone first in this mock draft, and as speculation spread about the possible recovery time -- and larger dangers clouding his future -- the draft proceedings were put on hold and a "do-over" option was discussed, with much consternation in both directions.

What ended up happening was that the first five picks were re-done the following day, which was unfortunately an extremely busy one for me. I was unable to communicate with any other bloggers, and thus my "master plan" to acquire a second pick did not come to fruition.

So, what I present now is sort of a half-realized mock draft scenario that is meant entirely as good fun and not any sort of realistic prediction or suggestion for Thursday's big night:

Dallas trades: Shane Larkin, Ricky Ledo, and an unprotected 2015 1st round pick

Dallas receives: 20th pick, Arnett Moultrie, Jason Terry (previously traded to PHI from SAC)

Dallas selects: Clint Capela, F/C, Switzerland

Giving up on Shane Larkin might seem like a hasty decision, and admittedly I had done so under the assumption I would add another perimeter player with my second selection. Although I didn't technically get another first round pick, it is possible that some quality options will be available at pick #34.

What I see with Larkin is a player who is most likely too small to be a full-time starter in the NBA at 5'11, who struggled in limited minutes as a rookie (with a shooting slash line of .380/.316/.640, a sky-high turnover percentage, and a dismal 8.3 PER), and is currently behind Jose Calderon, Monta Ellis and Devin Harris (likely to be either resigned or replaced by a player of similar stature) on the depth chart. If it seems counter-intuitive to trade him -- the 18th pick -- in a package for the 20th pick, just 12 months later, keep in mind the widely-accepted difference in quality of draft.

Ricky Ledo, while something of an internet favorite, is even less proven as a professional, and while I still hold out hope he'll develop, his chances of success are put into proper context when comparing his performance in the D-League to 2014 draft prospect and fellow member of the Texas Legends, P.J. Hairston (someone I considered a backup plan if Jordan Adams had been taken). Hairston played fewer minutes with the Legends than Ledo, at a younger age, yet averaged six points per game more, and shot better from the field. Hairston is not expected to go in the top 20 picks.

Of course, much more important than what might go wrong with Larkin or Ledo is what might go right with Capela. A bouncy, 6'11 forward who just turned 20, Capela rates well not only in traditional scouting circles that fawn over his size, length, and athletic ability, but also with analytics-types, who see his tremendous shooting percentages, block and rebound rates, and envision an efficient scoring defensive anchor like Serge Ibaka. Capela rated as the second best prospect in Kevin Palton's WARP-projections, ahead of Embiid, Parker and Wiggins, and just behind Marcus Smart. While the noise in translating international players might be a little louder than with college players, that's still quite an endorsement.

Having the chance to look at Capela's tape, you can't help but see an electric athlete who plays above the rim at both ends. While he's not quite as big as Tyson Chandler, if he puts on 15 or so pounds of muscle, it's not too hard a stretch to imagine him having a similar kind of defensive impact.  This is the exact kind of profile Dallas needs in a frontcourt mate for Dirk Nowitzki. Someone big who can cover ground, protect the basket, and rebound on defense, and finish his chances inside on offense.

With this trade, Dallas also gets to give Jason Terry a farewell/reunion tour in Dallas(hopefully also hitting a few open three-pointers along the way), and has a chance to take a look at Arnett Moultrie, a talented big man with a questionable attitude that Dallas expressed interest in back in 2012. Moultrie had a surprisingly good rookie season, where he rebounded well, and even showed off a solid midrange game.  His second year was a complete disaster, and if the Liberty Ballers site is any indication, he has worn out his welcome in Philly.

Maybe the biggest price Dallas pays in this deal is giving up next year's first rounder, but there are a few things I'd like to say about this. It's important to remember that due to the Ted Stepien Rule, Dallas cannot trade their 2015 pick solely for a veteran (or veterans), because the rule forbids trading picks in consecutive years, and Dallas has already ceded their 2014 selection to Oklahoma City. This move is sort of a way around this rule, as Dallas is acquiring another 2014 first rounder.

For a team with a 36 year old franchise player, waiting a year to either draft someone or trade their pick then for a veteran seems next to pointless. Dallas needs players now, and has little choice but to go for it all while their window remains oh-so-narrowily open. While it would seem Philadelphia is banking on Dallas being out of the playoff race this upcoming season, I expect the Mavericks to play hard and sneak in once again. Perhaps, with some smart off-season moves, they can do even better than sneak in. Either way, I would bet on that 2015 pick being higher than #20.

So, this was my pick, such as it was. What do you think, Mavs fans? Do you hate it? Love it? Something in between?  Would you have taken someone else still on the board? Give us your thoughts.

Could the NBA whet our appetites for professional basketball with a Development League team?

Edited by Joanna Nesgoda

At this point, no one really knows when the NBA will return to Seattle. We certainly don't know, it doesn't appear that Chris Hansen knows (although he continues to have very high hopes), and one could argue that Adam Silver doesn't even know. So how does the NBA keep us interested in their product?

Well, in the latest episode of The Downstroke podcast, CBS Sport's Matt Moore suggested putting a development league team in the state to tide us over, and that team could later become the affiliate for the Seattle SuperSonics. He did explicitly state that the team should not be placed in Seattle, as that should be reserved for when the league does return. So that got us thinking: where could a team be placed?

If you want to stay within the Puget Sound region, the seemingly most logical place would be Kent. They have the Showare Center, which is currently home to the Seattle Thunderbirds. The Showare Center holds roughly 6,500 for hockey so it would be assumed that it would hold slightly more for basketball.

Another potential location could be Everett, home of the Silvertips hockey team. Their Comcast Arena holds 8,149 for hockey and up to 10,000 for concerts. Comcast Arena has been home to a minor league basketball team before, housing the Everett Explosion of the International Basketball League in 2007.

Hey, what about Tacoma? The Tacoma Dome has a capacity for 17,100 for basketball, which would instantly make it one of the largest arenas in the D-League. The arena hosted the Sonics themselves in the 1994-95 season during KeyArena's renovation.

Then again, there is a whole other side of the state that has been neglected when it comes to professional basketball. What about putting a team in Spokane? It's the second largest city in the state and has the Spokane Arena, which could hold 12,210 for basketball. The home to the former AFL Champions the Spokane Shock also serves as a secondary home for the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Washington State Cougars, holding at least one major match-up per season. The second and third rounds of this year's NCAA tournament were held there as well.

Another potential destination is the Yakima Valley SunDome. This arena was the home to the CBA's Yakima Sun Kings before Isiah Thomas tanked that entire league. It can hold 6,159 for basketball. While that may seem small compared to the others on this list, keep in mind that the D-League's newest team, the Grand Rapids Drive, play in an arena that only holds 4,500.

Speaking of the CBA, the former home of the Tri-City Chinook could be an option as well. The Toyota Center in Kennewick doesn't list its capacity for basketball, but it does hold 6,000 for hockey and as many as 7,715 for concerts. It is the current home of the Tri-City Americans WHL hockey team and the Tri-Cities Fever indoor football team.

There is also the Town Toyota Center in Wenatchee. This arena holds 5,000 for basketball and is the regular home of the NCW High School Basketball Showcase. It is the current home of the Wenatchee Wild hockey team, for which it holds 4,300, as well as the Wenatchee Figure Skating Club and Wenatchee Curling Club.

Once you decide where to put the team, the next question is what to call it. Kevin Nesgoda is in favor of the Wenatchee Wildmen, a takeoff of the local hockey team and a nod to the local Sasquatch that Kevin hopes to one day catch. Paul Rogers, on the other hand, would like to see a return of the Yakima Sun Kings. Dontae Delgado is in favor of putting a team in Kent, but doesn't think any team name sounds good with Kent in front of it. Could they be called the Washington somethings? Or does that get too confusing with the Wizards? The New York Knicks recently revealed their new D-League Affiliate, the Westchester... Knicks. Could a D-League team be called the SuperSonics? Should a D-League team be called the SuperSonics? What about a lesser name like... the SubSonics?

What do you think? Do you agree with Matt Moore that the NBA should give us a Development League team to tide us over? Or do you find that to be demeaning and you'd rather wait for an NBA team? If you're for it, where would you like to see it and what would you like to call it? Let us know in the comments.

- Lebron James opted out of his contract today with the Miami Heat. Naturally, all zealous fans have emerged from the woodwork, thinking their team may have a chance at the best player in the association, but as the link correctly surmises, James will most likely keep his talents in South Beach. He is merely giving the Heat the freedom to rework all their contracts in hopes of strengthening the roster.

It will be interesting to see if Dwyane Wade follows suit, turning down over 40 million dollars, when it's obvious he doesn't deserve anything remotely close to that sum. If I'm James, I wouldn't want someone who is half the player he once was eating up such a large piece of the pie, no matter how close they are outside of the limelight.

- Jimmy Smith is at it again, producing below average content, but hey, he did get one part right:

Make no mistake: there's a huge need for the Pelicans at the small forward spot, for someone who can score and play defense.

The rest of the article was dedicated to convincing readers why Doug McDermott would make for a good option with the 8th pick of the upcoming draft, were the Pelicans to trade away Jrue Holiday. On the one hand, it's due time to find a legitimate two-way option at shooting forward. On the other, here's a deeply flawed rookie, but that's fine, because his agent is Mark Bartelstein. Love the rationale.

- Speaking of Holiday, his name has been recently linked in a number of stories. Ranging from fluff on Sheridan Hoops:

Also, the Sacramento Kings are very open to dealing the eighth pick and have been looking to upgrade over Isaiah Thomas. One potential deal to watch is the New Orleans Pelicans sending Jrue Holiday to the Kings for the pick. The Pelicans have been looking for a pick in the first round and have been shopping Holiday.

to several laughable remarks on ProBasketBallTalk:

The Jrue Holiday trade could go down as one of the worst deals in NBA history...

On the other side, Holiday has done nothing more than tread water with the Pelicans. You wonder whether they would have made the trade if Holiday didn’t hold the coveted "All-Star" label.

Really, neither article deserves any attention, but it should be pointed out Dell Demps' options, were he looking to make a splash, requires the inclusion of an asset(s) that would normally be off the radar. It's no secret Eric Gordon has been in Demps' crosshairs for years now, but he has unable to find a suitable deal bringing back any value to the team.

Now, Ryan Anderson has joined him in the land of untradeables. Coming off spine surgery, no team will trade for the remainder of his contract until he proves he remains an effective scorer without limitations. The earliest that could happen is at least several months into next season.

By default, that leaves either Holiday or Tyreke Evans (as Anthony Davis is as immovable as a contract can get). This is made even more true when considering New Orleans depth at guard. Austin Rivers is ready for consistent rotation minutes. One must assume the team would like to bring back Anthony Morrow. Eric Gordon, as mentioned, is a problematic paper weight. And we haven't even yet mentioned Brian Roberts nor Pierre Jackson.

I strongly believe Holiday isn't leaving town. Demps is simply exploring his options, doing his due diligence. Even after the disheartening Joel Embiid news, it has been widely reported a number of teams (ie. ORL (#4) and UTA (#5)) are still interested in moving up in the draft. Dell wouldn't be doing his job, not looking for possible value somewhere in the draft.

"If there’s an opportunity for us to get back into the draft, we’ll take it," Williams said while doing charity work at Covenant House in New Orleans. "As for (whether we are) aggressive, every team in the NBA is aggressive right now. They may not say they are, but they are.

However, make no mistake, the franchise won't be off loading Holiday for some middling prospect like McDermott. Last year proved Benson and Loomis have taken the same approach with the Pelicans as the Saints -- win now.

- Well this is certainly different, Monty now appears to have Tyreke Evans' back:

''He may not remember, but I talked to him last year about adding to the pot and we call it corporate equity,'' Williams said. ''When you are able to build a relationship, whether it's working in the gym or being in the city of New Orleans as a representative of our team. He's been phenomenal in those areas, so he's building equity with me.

''He's been rehabbing, working on his shot, working on his body. He doesn't have the stress of a contract this summer, so I think he can relax. I think he generally enjoys being in New Orleans.''

Regardless of his role next season, hopefully the improvement in their relationship means Evans will no longer be under-utilized.

UPDATE: And boom goes the dynamite:

But a league source confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Holiday has not been included in any trade discussions by the Pelicans to secure a draft pick.

Marc Stein is reporting that the Kings are interested in Smith and could potentially trade for him by draft day.

Let the fun begin!  ESPN's Marc Stein broke some interesting news today with word that the Kings could be in the running to trade for Detroit Forward Josh Smith.

One source insists nothing imminent, but I'm told Pistons and Kings have discussed a trade that would send Josh Smith to Sacramento

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 24, 2014

One potential scenario, I'm told, would send Smith to Kings for Jason Thompson and Derrick Williams. Jason Terry might be another option

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 24, 2014

No word deal is imminent (yet) but Sacramento's well-known fondness for Rajon Rondo would help explain Kings' interest in his buddy JSmoove

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 24, 2014

Immediate focus for Kings, though, is dealing No. 8 pick, which looks increasingly inevitable between now and Thursday's draft proceedings

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 24, 2014

Smith signed a 4 year, $54 million deal with Detroit last summer but failed to live up to expectations, averaging a career-low in efficiency, all while Detroit failed to make the playoffs in a very weak Eastern Conference.  New President of Basketball Operations Stan Van Gundy will obviously be looking to make some changes and ridding the team of Smith's contract would be a good first step.

For Sacramento, this trade would be similar to the one in which they acquired Rudy Gay, getting a big talent who underperformed for as few assets as possible.  The Kings would be betting that Smith returns to his Atlanta form and perhaps focuses more on his all-around game rather than his offense with Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins facing the biggest burdens there.

Should the Kings acquire Smith though, that means they will have a huge amount of money invested in a frontline of Cousins, Smith and Gay going forward, assuming the Kings and Gay work out an extension this summer.

* UPDATE * - 2:15pm

Keep in mind that a lot can happen between now and Thursday, but Jonathan Givony (Draft Express) says the deal is "DEAD" as of this morning.

Rumored Sacramento-Detroit trade is "dead" according to a team source. Talks were ongoing for a few days, but Detroit nixed it this morning.

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 24, 2014

* UPDATE * - 3:06pm

Stein JUST posted a full story regarding the rumored trade talks on ESPN. He notes that both teams have "continued to exchange proposals," and indicated that Jason Terry and/or Carl Landry could be possibilities to replace Derek Williams in a potential deal. You can read the full story HERE. Obviously the timing of the publication of Stein's story would seem to contradict Givony's report that the deal is "dead." But, It's uncertain at this point whether Stein is simply operating under the impression that the talks are still very much in progress, or if he's reporting on older intel.

ESPN link to latest on this week's Josh Smith-to-Sacramento trade talks - http://t.co/z539bUevhR

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 24, 2014

There's really no such thing as an immovable contract.

Update:Detroit's trade talks with the Kings are reportedly "dead," according to DraftExpress.

The Pistons and Kings have discussed a deal that would send Josh Smith to Sacramento, according to a report from ESPN's Marc Stein. "One source insists nothing imminent, but I'm told Pistons and Kings have discussed a trade that would send Josh Smith to Sacramento," he tweeted.

Who might the Pistons receive in return? "One scenario, I'm told, would send Smith to Kings for Jason Thompson and Derrick Williams. Jason Terry might be another option," tweets Stein.

The Pistons overpaid for Smith last summer by signing him to a four-year, $54 million deal -- and that was before he proceeded to play the worst season of his career, shooting a career-low 41.9 percent from the field (including a cringe-worthy 26.4 percent from 3-point land) while playing out of position at small forward. But as we've learned time and again in the NBA, that doesn't mean he can't be moved.

Why would the Kings be interested in acquiring Smith? For one, he'd be allowed to play his natural position of power forward, joining Rudy Gay at small forward and DeMarcus Cousins in the middle. And second, the proposed trade might just be a precursor to a larger deal to remake the Kings:

No word deal is imminent (yet) but Sacramento's well-known fondness for Rajon Rondo would help explain Kings' interest in his buddy JSmoove

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 24, 2014

Immediate focus for Kings, though, is dealing No. 8 pick, which looks increasingly inevitable between now and Thursday's draft proceedings

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 24, 2014

It's not yet clear if the Pistons are in the running for the Kings' eighth overall pick, as well. If they are, DBB's Ben Gulker described the various salary cap implications the Pistons must consider for that to happen earlier this afternoon.

Over at SB Nation's Sactown Royalty, Aykis16 seems to like the move:

For Sacramento, this trade would be similar to the one in which they acquired Rudy Gay, getting a big talent who underperformed for as few assets as possible.  The Kings would be betting that Smith returns to his Atlanta form and perhaps focuses more on his all-around game rather than his offense with Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins facing the biggest burdens there.

Although SBNation.com's Mike Prada doesn't think the trade is likely -- he rates it a 4 on a scale of 1 to 10 -- he can see how the Kings might talk themselves into the deal:

Sacramento is slated to approach the luxury tax even though they won just 28 games last year, so it's not like they can sign impact players in free agency. The No. 8 draft pick is nice, but it's hard to find a star at that spot. Three players averaged 20 points a game for them last year -- emerging young big man DeMarcus Cousins, free-agent point guard Isaiah Thomas and midseason acquisition Rudy Gay -- but the rest of the roster is very shallow and has a number of bad contracts. Consider that Thompson and Carl Landry, two power forwards who did little for the Kings last year, will make nearly $51 million combined through 2017, only $5 million less than Smith. Thus, the Kings may need to gamble on Smith's talent to move up in the West.

Thompson, who turns 28 years old in July, is also coming off a career-worst season, averaging just 7.1 points and 6.4 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game. That's disappointing if you view him as a potential starter, but it's acceptable as a big man off the bench. He also plays a defined position and has attempted just five 3-pointers the last three seasons combined, which is more than you can say for Smith. Thompson is signed through the 2016-17 season after inking a 5-year, $30.1 million deal in 2012. He's owed $6 million in 2014-15, $6.4 million in 2015-16 and $6.8 million in the final year.

Williams, on the other hand, might still have some potential waiting to be unlocked. The former second overall pick by the Timberwolves in the 2011 draft just turned 23 years old in May, arriving to the Kings last year in a midseason trade. Unfortunately he fancies himself a bit of a 3-point shooter despite converting on just 29.6 percent of his attempts, but I trust Stan Van Gundy could corral the young player into achieving his fullest potential. Williams has averaged 10.1 points with 4.9 rebounds while averaging 23.2 minutes per game in his three seasons in the league.

In April, DBB's own revken included the Kings in a post outlining several potential trade partners:

The priority for the Kings this summer has to be keeping Isaiah Thomas, who will soon cease to be the league’s cheapest 20 points per game scorer. But ever since they rejuvenated Rudy Gay’s career, some Pistons’ fans have wondered if the Kings would also like to try their hand with Smith. He might actually be a good complement upfront to DeMarcus Cousins.

For a trade to work, it would probably have to include either Carl Landry (three years/$19.5 million) or Jason Thompson (three years/$19.3 million), plus one other player. Either Jason Terry (one year/$5.9 million) or Derrick Williams (one year/$6.3 million) should suffice. Terry, for example, could take Rodney Stuckey’s place in the Detroit guard rotation next season. Currently recovering from knee surgery, Landry has been a useful reserve at power forward for most of his career. While the third year of his deal would extend through the 2016-17 season, its modest amount ($6.5 million) would still save the Pistons $7 million they could use to meet other needs. The same is true for Thompson if the Kings preferred to offer him.

If this deal comes to fruition -- and I should remind you before getting too excited, the two teams are simply taking, and Stein hedged by saying nothing was imminent -- it would certainly seem to indicate the Pistons are willing to commit big money to restricted free agent Greg Monroe, who's about to get a lot of money once he hits the market. Van Gundy met with the Detroit media this afternoon, addressing Monroe's impending free agency:

Highlights from SVG: Careful to say he "values" Greg Monroe vs. "wanting" him. Said they have have investigated every angle

— Vincent Ellis (@Vincent_Ellis56) June 24, 2014

The decision has been made on what they are doing with the Greg Monroe decision as far as trades, matching offer

— Jennifer Hammond (@HammerFox2) June 24, 2014

Now your thoughts.

LB goes Full Hinkie.

In last year's SB Nation NBA Mock Draft where the bloggers became GMs, I sent a lot of emails and not too much happened. I acquired Anthony Bennett (at #8) and DeAndre Jordan, got rid of Spencer Hawes (miss u) and Jason Richardson, but that's about it. Then Hinkie bested me by trading Jrue Holiday for Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams a few days later.

This year, I was determined to out-Hinkie Hinkie in this fake land of NBA Mock Drafts where trades and buyouts and potential free agents signings could be made and I had no owners to answer to. And I think I set a pretty decent first shotput for Hinkie to try to match.

Overall, I made four trades (which became three as two trades merged to become a 3-teamer), acquired six new players, traded three, picked up a first next year, two future seconds, and moved up to have four first rounders in 2014 and holding onto three seconds.

#3: Sixers Select Dante Exum

With Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker gone, Exum was the easy pick here. I fielded some offers for MCW, but ultimately decided to give them a hypothetical shot at co-existing.

#8: Bulls/Kings/Sixers 3-Team Trade; Sixers Select Dario Saric

Sixers Trade: Jason Richardson, #10
Sixers Acquire: Carlos Boozer, Jason Thompson, Jason Terry, Quincy Acy, #8, #19, 2015 Portland 2nd (via CHI)

Though this was made prior to Saric's overseas contract, we're still comfortable with this. Yes, we brought on a crap ton of money, but the Sixers cap space this year doesn't matter to me one bit, and it's worth it to load up on future assets. If trades present themselves at the hypothetical deadline, we have plenty of salary to match.

Saric vs. Marcus Smart was a huge consideration initially (you'll find out via the email thread in a bit) but with Exum the pick at #3 and these two guys on the same tier for us, Saric won out.

#19: Sixers Select James Young

Just the BPA at this point. We needed a shooting wing to go with the ball-dominant MCW/Exum/Saric and while Young isn't incapable with the ball in his hands, at least initially, we're comfortable letting him chill on the wing and bury shots with his beautiful lefty jumper. He'll be fun in transition with this group as well. Defense is a concern, but since we're confident everywhere else on that end, we can afford to wait for him to improve here.

Imagine how much fun Exum and Young will have together.

#20: Raptors/Mavs/Sixers 3-Team Trade

Sixers Trade: Thaddeus Young, Jason Terry, Arnett Moultrie
Sixers Acquire: John Salmons ($1M buyout), Shane Larkin, Ricky Ledo, Wayne Ellington, 2015 Dallas Unprotected 1st, 2017 NYK 2nd rounder (via TOR)

We had initially made the trade centering around Thad for #20, but we wanted to get a first next year, and Dallas provided the best way to do that. We think that pick could will likely end up in the teens, possibly as high as the late lottery if Dirk Nowitzki finally breaks down. With the Sixers "owing" their pick to Boston (lol playoffs), a 2015 first rounder was huge for us.

And some combination of Larkin, Ledo, and Ellington will become useful players in this system. I like Ellington more than I should. Ledo's a former Sixer (!) and Larkin could be fun as a change of pace backup to MCW with Wroten.

This trade also means Nerlens Noel -- yet to play an NBA game -- is the longest tenured 76ers player.

#30: Sixers/Spurs Trade; Sixers Select Jarnell Stokes

Sixers Trade: #32, #52
Sixers Acquire: #30

Easy trade for us to make -- Spurs didn't want the cap hold of a first rounder, and since this was only a one-round mock and I'm a greedy bastard, I wanted to make another pick.

Stokes is the perfect compliment to Noel and eventually Saric. He and Henry Sims forming a second unit of punishment excites me almost as much as the rest of this fake draft. Really think he'll be a solid pro for a long time.

Second Rounders In Theory
#39: Damien Inglis?
#47: Khem Birch?
#54: Jordan Bachynski?

***

So there's your draft. With the trading of Thad, J-Rich, and Moultrie, and an acquisition of a first rounder next season, I've fully destroyed any evidence of Doug Collins ever having been here. That felt extremely good. Here's all of our assets, some of whom will have to be let go (anyone but Davies) or assigned to the D-League:

PG: Michael Carter-Williams
SG: DANTE EXUM
SF: JAMES YOUNG
PF: Jason Thompson*
C: Nerlens Noel

Bench Guards: Tony Wroten, Shane Larkin*, Ricky Ledo,* Wayne Ellington*, Elliot Williams, James Anderson

Bench Forwards: JARNELL STOKES, Hollis Thompson, Quincy Acy*, KHEM BIRCH, Brandon Davies, Byron Mullens

Bench Centers: Henry Sims, Jarvis Varnado, JORDAN BACHYNSKI

Stashed: DARIO SARIC, DAMIEN INGLIS, Arsalan Kazemi, Furkan Aldemir

Buyout: John Salmons* ($1M)

Please Agree To A Buyout: Carlos Boozer*

Future Picks
2015 Dallas 1st (unprotected)*
2015 New Orleans 2nd
2015 Portland 2nd*
2015 Golden State 2nd
2016 Denver 2nd
2017 New York 2nd* 
2018 LAC 2nd

The only player acquired with sizable salary after this season is Jason Thompson, who we don't mind as the de facto veteran around here for a year or two until Dario Saric comes over. Everybody else expires after this season, opening up a ton of cap space for trades or a big 2015 free agent splash.

Between digging up reclamation projects with upside, loading up on a mix of projectionable studs and role players in the draft, and staying cap flexible after this season, the Philadelphia Liberty Ballers is extremely pleased with how this draft turned out.

Impress me, Hinkie. Your throw.

Sigh.

It sure was fun to think about this afternoon, but trade talks between the Detroit Pistons and Sacramento Kings centered around Josh Smith have apparently fallen through.

Rumored Sacramento-Detroit trade is "dead" according to a team source. Talks were ongoing for a few days, but Detroit nixed it this morning.

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 24, 2014

Source on rumored J Smoove to Sac deal: "Don't get your hopes up."

— Matt Dery (@dery1051) June 24, 2014

ESPN's Marc Stein was the first to report the initial talks, suggesting the Kings could send back a package that included Jason Thompson, Derrick Williams and Jason Terry. It was hardly a blockbuster, but that wasn't the point -- simply unloading Smith's monstrous contract and alleviating the logjam in the front court was a potential win in itself, regardless who the Pistons got back.

Do Stan Van Gundy and Jeff Bower think they can get a better offer? Are they playing hard ball in an attempt to get the Kings to include their No. 8 first-round pick? It's possible.

Smith is coming off his worst season as a pro, but he also played out of position at small forward. Certainly there's some team out there with a need at power forward willing to give him a chance, right?

Right?

I don't know, but I hope so. If you're looking for a silver lining, let it be this: even if the Pistons weren't willing to pull the trigger on this deal, the fact that they're actively engaging in talks means they are in fact trying to move him. And as we sit here in June several months before the start of the season, that's all you can pretty much ask for.

Now your thoughts.

Talks of a deal sending Detroit's Josh Smith to Sacramento have apparently stalled

ESPN's Marc Stein had been reporting on a potential deal between Sacramento and Detroit sending Josh Smith to the Kings as late as this afternoon. There never appeared to be one nailed-down incarnation of the trade, with Carl Landry, Derrick Williams, Jason Thompson, and Jason Terry all suggested as possible Kings pieces.

Now, however, Draft Express' Jon Givony reports the deal is dead.

Rumored Sacramento-Detroit trade is "dead" according to a team source. Talks were ongoing for a few days, but Detroit nixed it this morning.

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 24, 2014

Detroit Bad Boys appeared to like the deal from the Pistons' perspective, with Smith representing dead weight to them both financially and in Detroit's packed front court. It's less clear what the Kings would be trying to accomplish exactly; the Rudy Gay move was, to me, a head-scratcher though Gay did play very well in 55 games for the Kings last season.

All of this to say: if Sacramento is truly out of the picture as a Josh Smith destination, is New Orleans in play (to get Greg Monroe)? Is this all just a ploy for Detroit to trade back into the first round and nab the Kings' 8th overall pick?

Anything is possibbbbllllllllllllllllllllllle! (...except LeBron James, that's just not happening)

Here we are, a day away from the NBA Draft and the rumors are pretty much all over the map.  The Celtics could trade up, trade down, trade for a star, trade away a star, or do nothing but pick their own picks. Or maybe some combination of some of the above.  Who knows?

The top priority might have the lowest chance of happening, at least on draft night.

Not a whole lotta Love for Celtics | Boston Herald

There remains some possibility that Minnesota will trade Kevin Love by tomorrow night, but involved sources told the Herald that Timberwolves president of basketball operations, coach and part owner Flip Saunders is growing more entrenched that he should let things play out with his All-Star forward.

It’s been reported here that Danny Ainge offered the sixth and 17th overall picks, along with Kelly Olynyk and one of their own future first-round picks. They are also willing to discuss packages that include first-rounders the C’s are owed from Brooklyn in 2016 and 2018. But one problem from the Timberwolves’ side is the additional contracts they would take back to make the salary numbers on a deal conform to the collective bargaining rules.

Sounds like the Celtics are trying to trade for players that the Timberwolves would want to take back in a Love plus picks trade but they are skeptical that Ainge can come up with what they want.  Danny is one of the most creative and hardest working GMs out there, but he might not have the bullets to get this one done on draft night.

Saunders might try to keep Love past the draft and even into the season.  He'll risk losing him for nothing at this time next year though.  I'm guessing this is a ploy to get teams to up their offers at the last minute, but if there's always a chance that he could be shopped later in the summer or even at the trade deadline.  It would just be kind of awkward for all parties without some kind of show of confidence by Kevin Love in what the Wolves are doing.

Switching gears, there was an interesting rumor yesterday about the Kings trying to put together the All Weirdo super team.

Could Smith lead to Rondo for Kings? - Boston Celtics Blog - ESPN Boston

Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com on Tuesday that the Pistons have engaged the Sacramento Kings in trade discussions this week that would potentially land Josh Smith in the same Sacramento frontcourt as DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay. Another potential bonus [for the Kings] is Smith's close relationship with Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, whom Sacramento has reportedly been targeting in trade talks for some time.

So they'd want to put out a lineup of Rondo, McLemore (if he isn't traded), Gay, Smith, and Cousins.  I don't know if that is so crazy it just might work or just plain crazy.

That rumor appeared to be knocked down as quick as it surfaced though.

Rumored Sacramento-Detroit trade is "dead" according to a team source. Talks were ongoing for a few days, but Detroit nixed it this morning.

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 24, 2014

That doesn't mean that the Kings will stop calling the Celtics about their #8 pick though.  Sounds like they are intent on moving it.

One source said that the Kings' focus, for the moment, is Thursday's draft and perhaps swinging a trade involving the No. 8 overall pick. Sources told ESPN.com's Andy Katz on Tuesday that Sacramento has narrowed its potential draft pick trade partners down to Boston, Phoenix and Philadelphia -- three teams that have multiple first-round picks.

So needless to say, watch the Kings carefully on draft night.

As for moving up to get the number one pick, the Celtics have apparently made the call, but there's no telling how much traction they got or even what they offered.  Sounds like they are calling everyone in fact.

Danny Ainge talks it up | Boston Herald

According to a league source, Danny Ainge and Co. have talked with all five teams above them in the draft order about trading up from the sixth pick. That includes Cleveland, which has the top pick for the second year in a row. Nothing, though, is imminent. The Celtics have also talked with teams about securing a lower pick, as well as a choice in the second round.

So, glad we've got that narrowed down.

Any chance that Embiid could fall to us at #6?  Maybe.  Maybe not.

Joel Embiid still very strongly in play with Philly at #3, and Orlando at #4. Doesn't fall past Sacramento at 8 worst case scenario I'm told

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 24, 2014

Basically anything could happen tomorrow night.  Which is why we watch.

Who's having fun?