NBA Draft Rumors: Last-Minute 2022 Draft Whispers Around All 30 Teams

0 of 3

Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images

Thursday night’s 2022 NBA draft could be wild.

It isn’t entirely certain which player will go first overall, there is trade chatter inside of the top 10 and teams are looking to move inside of the top five for different prospects.

Buckle up, in other words, and use this rumor roundup to help tie you over until the real talent grab.

1 of 3

David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

While teams draft prospects, the players themselves have preferences about where they’ll land.

If the Orlando Magic take those preferences into account, it sounds like that could solidify Jabari Smith’s spot at the top of this draft, as Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported:

“Among Smith and fellow top prospects Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero, Smith and his representatives have long expressed the most enthusiasm about joining the Magic, sources told B/R. Holmgren’s and Banchero’s camps have operated with greater desires to land elsewhere, according to league personnel familiar with both players.“

While talent should almost always be the driving force behind draft decisions—particularly for a rebuilding team like Orlando—this could be a factor that helps differentiate similarly ranked prospects.

For years, we have seen non-destination franchises struggle to retain their top players. If Smith has truly embraced the Magic, and the franchise has rated him as highly (or higher) than Holmgren and Banchero, then Orlando’s decision could already be made.

2 of 3

David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

Assuming Smith, Holmgren and Banchero are the top three picks, this draft will really get interesting at the No. 4 spot.

The success-starved Sacramento Kings hold that pick for now, but they could wind up flipping it for more win-now talent. If they do, several teams are reportedly looking to move into that spot, and they don’t all have the same target in mind.

Fischer reported the Kings are getting “plenty of trade interest” in the pick with the Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs and Washington Wizards among the clubs showing interest. Fischer added that “it’s believed” the Pacers and Spurs covet Iowa forward Keegan Murray, while the Knicks and Wizards want Purdue guard Jaden Ivey.

Should the Kings keep the pick, teams believe they will take Murray, who seemingly has a lower ceiling than Ivey but offers a much cleaner fit with Sacramento guards De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell.

3 of 3

A.J. Mast/NBAE via Getty Images

The New York Knicks hold the No. 11 pick in Thursday night’s draft, but they aren’t expected to stay there.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported the Knicks are “aggressively exploring scenarios in which it will trade down or trade out of the draft altogether if it can land a starting-caliber point guard.”

Givony mentioned Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon—a prime trade candidate after Tyrese Haliburton’s arrival—as one option. Givony also mentioned New York could use a draft-night deal to clear cap space for a major free agent, like Kyrie Irving.

No matter how this plays out, New York needs to leave Thursday with either a point guard in hand or a path to acquire one. The Knicks could have more talent than this season’s 37-45 record suggests, but they need a floor general to bring it all together before they’ll know for certain.