Report: Wizards exploring trade for Kings’ No. 4 pick

The Washington Wizards will be in no position to select Purdue shooting guard Jaden Ivey with the No. 10 pick in the NBA draft, but they appear to be exploring another possibility involving the Kings.

Substack’s Quinton Mayo reported the Wizards are interested in acquiring the No. 4 pick from the Kings in order to draft Ivey, who is regarded as one of the top prospects in this year’s draft.

The Wizards have “spent a significant amount of time discussing possible trade packages to acquire the number four overall pick from Sacramento, Ivey’s assumed draft position, sources tell me,” Mayo wrote.

Ivey 20 is an explosive 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard who averaged 17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists as a sophomore at Purdue. Ivey shot 46% from the field and 35.8% from 3-point range.

The Kings are widely projected to pick Ivey at No. 4, but there are questions about his fit in a backcourt that already features De’Aaron Fox. Fox and Ivey have overlapping skillsets with similar strengths and weaknesses. Washington would have to pay a hefty price to reach a deal with Sacramento, but the Wizards might have something the Kings want.

Last summer, Kings general manager Monte McNair nearly pulled off a trade that would have sent Buddy Hield to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package featuring forward Kyle Kuzma. That deal fell through when the Lakers suddenly pivoted, instead sending Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Wizards for Russell Westbrook.

Kuzma, 26, had a strong season for the Wizards, averaging 17.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 66 games. He shot 45.2% from the field and 34.1% from 3-point range. Kuzma is owed $13 million next season with a $13 million player option in 2023-24. He will likely decline the option to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Kuzma has good size and length at 6-9 and 221 pounds with a 7-foot wingspan. He would be a nice addition to Sacramento’s frontcourt alongside Harrison Barnes and Domantas Sabonis, but the Wizards would have to offer much more to convince the Kings to part with the No. 4 pick.

The Wizards would certainly give up the rights to the No. 10 pick in this year’s draft along with future draft compensation or other young players such as Rui Hachimura or Deni Avdija, but that still might not be enough for Sacramento.