Projected first-round pick Butler dines with Kings
Jared Butler’s basketball career has taken him many places. In April, he found himself atop a ladder in Indianapolis, cutting down the nets after leading Baylor to its first NCAA championship. On Monday night, he was in Sacramento, dining with the Kings.
Butler, the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, came to Sacramento to meet with the Kings as they prepare for the NBA Draft on July 29, sources told The Sacramento Bee. Butler had dinner with Kings executives Monday night and will visit the team facility Tuesday, sources said, but he will not participate in a scheduled pre-draft workout with other prospects.
Butler, once projected as a mid-first-round pick, now faces an uncertain future due to a heart condition that has prevented him from participating in on-court activities leading up to the draft. During the draft combine in June, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported the NBA had referred Butler to a Fitness-to-Play Panel. The 21-year-old guard will not be permitted to practice or play in the NBA until a panel of physicians determines if he can continue his basketball career.
Butler has dropped to the end of the first round in some mock drafts, but he remained positive and upbeat when asked about his ordeal last month.
“I have the faith and genuinely believe that God has a purpose for my life,” Butler said, according to Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype.com. “Whatever that is or outcome or circumstance I’m put in, I’m pretty grateful for it.”
Butler is a 6-foot-3 ?, 193pound combo guard who averaged 16.7 points, 4.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals as a junior at Virginia last season. He shot 47.1% from the field, 41.6% from 3-point range and 78% at the free-throw line, demonstrating an ability to score at all three levels. He had 22 points and seven assists with no turnovers in an 86-70 victory over Gonzaga in the NCAA championship game.
It’s not clear how Butler might fit into the Kings’ plans. Sacramento has the No. 9 pick in the first round and the 39th pick in the second round. De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Delon Wright are all under contract next season while Terence Davis is entering restricted free agency.
Butler wouldn’t appear to be in Sacramento’s draft range unless he continues to slide into the second round, but that could change if the Kings move up or down or acquire additional picks as part of a trade.
Tankathon ranks Butler as the fifth-best point guard in the draft behind Jalen Suggs, Cade Cunningham, Josh Giddey and Jaden Springer. NBA Draft Room ranks him fifth behind Cunningham, Suggs, Davion Mitchell and Giddey. The website noted Butler “can play on or off the ball and is a well-grounded player, contributing in all aspects of the game.”
Tankathon has Butler going to the Atlanta Hawks with the 20th pick in the draft. CBS Sports has him going to the New York Knicks at No. 21. Bleacher Report has him falling to the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 28 while NBA Draft Room has him dropping to the Utah Jazz at No. 30.