NBA Draft 2022 Rumors: Jaden Ivey Doesn’t View Kings as ‘Preferred Destination’

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Purdue point guard Jaden Ivey could very well be the No. 4 pick in the 2022 NBA draft. However, he doesn’t appear keen on playing for the franchise that currently owns the fourth overall selection.

The Sacramento Kings “aren’t Ivey’s preferred destination,” according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. However, the Kings could still pick Ivey even if he withholds medical information and declines workouts with them because they haven’t been afraid to do so in the past, per Givony.

Givony adds that “many around the NBA feel that this pick is available for a team looking to swap picks and move up the draft for Ivey.” It wouldn’t make much sense for the Kings to select Ivey, as they have recent lottery picks De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell as their starting guards.

With that said, NBA insider Quinton Mayo (h/t Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee) reported that the Washington Wizards are interested in acquiring the fourth overall pick to select Ivey.

The Wizards could use a point guard to pair with Bradley Beal, so their interest in Ivey comes as no surprise. However, the asking price for the fourth overall selection could be hefty, so there’s no guarantee that Sacramento trades the pick.

In an interview with The Spun’s Matt Hladik, Ivey said he “would love to go anywhere,” but that playing for the Detroit Pistons or Indiana Pacers would be special because his mother, Niele Ivey, played for the WNBA’s Detroit Shock and Indiana Fever during her playing career.

The Pistons own the No. 5 pick and the Pacers own the sixth overall selection. However, Detroit already has Cade Cunningham and Indiana has Malcolm Brogdon, so it’s unclear how interested they would be in Ivey.

With that said, Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer recently reported that the Pacers were testing the market for Brogdon. That means they might be open to taking Ivey at No. 6 and pairing him with combo guard Tyrese Haliburton.

Ivey is widely believed to be the best point guard available in the 2022 draft class. During his sophomore season at Purdue, he averaged 17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting 46.- percent from the floor and 35.8 percent from deep in 36 games.