NBA draft roundup: Kings could select Kris Murray, Trayce Jackson-Davis or Duke prospects

The NBA draft is less than three weeks away and there are any number of possibilities for the Kings.

Sacramento is looking to build on this season’s success after winning 48 games to secure the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and their first playoff appearance since 2006. The Kings hold three picks in this year’s draft. They have the 24^th pick in the first round along with two second-round picks at No. 38 and No. 54.

Kings general manager Monte McNair has shown a tendency to select older college players in the first round and a willingness to trade in the second round. It would come as no surprise if McNair trades all three of this year’s picks in a deal to acquire veteran talent, but there are some intriguing players throughout the draft if the Kings choose to keep their picks.

Here’s a look at the projections for the No. 24 pick in some of the latest mock drafts.

NBADraft.net

24. Trayce Jackson-Davis

Indiana | PF | 6-9/245 | 23

A league source told The Sacramento Bee that Jackson-Davis came to Sacramento on Memorial Day as part of an early group to participate in pre-draft workouts for the Kings. Jackson-Davis, who has a reported 7-1 wingspan, averaged 20.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.9 blocks as a senior at Indiana. He was a first-team All-Big Ten Conference and consensus first-team All-American selection who won the Karl Malone Award as the nation’s best power forward.

NBA Draft Room wrote: “TJD is an overpowering force inside, despite not having elite center size. He’s become an advanced passer and play-maker.”

Clutchpoints.com

24. Kris Murray

Iowa | SF/PF | 6-8 ¾ | 22

Murray is coming out of Iowa one year after twin brother Keegan, who was selected by Sacramento with the No. 4 pick in the 2022 NBA draft. The Kings could double their fun with Kenyon Murray’s other son, who averaged 20.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steals as a junior with the Hawkeyes.

Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints writes: “The feel-good story of the 2022-23 NBA season, the Sacramento Kings could get very lucky in this spot. A really solid, high-IQ player could fall right in their laps. After taking Keegan Murray last year, getting his twin brother in Kris Murray makes way too much sense. Kris is not as good of a 3-point shooter as his brother, but he understands his role and is a much better defender than people give him credit for. NBA gods, give us the Murray twins in Sacramento, please and thank you!”

Tankathon.com

24. Dariq Whitehead

Duke | SG | 6-6 ¾/217 | 18 years old

White averaged 8.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists as a freshman at Duke, posting per-36 averages of 14.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists. He shot just 42.1% from the field but connected on 42.9% from 3-point range on 3.5 attempts per game.

ClutchPoints, which projects him as the 20^th overall pick in the draft, suggested Whitehead “would have been a top-10 pick this year if it was not for a foot injury during his freshman year,” describing him as “a great scorer with the ball in his hands and a wing with a 6-foot-10 wingspan.”

Associated Press

24. Derick Lively II

Duke | C | 7-1/215 | 19

Lively is another young player from Duke who is projected to go higher in some mock drafts. He averaged 5.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 20.6 minutes per game as a freshman at Duke with a .658 shooting percentage and per-36 averages of 9.1 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.2 blocks.

Tankathon.com ranks Lively as the No. 2 center in the draft behind projected No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama. Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press notes Lively “is still limited offensively, but the NBA’s highest-scoring team doesn’t need points. The Kings need someone to help prevent them, and the 7-1 Lively shows promise as a rebounder and shot blocker, highlighted by 14 boards and eight blocks in a game against rival North Carolina.”