New NBA Draft Rumors Reveal Who 'Kings Are Enamored With' After 2026 Combine

After winning the No. 7 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft lottery, the Sacramento Kings are keeping a close eye on Darius Acuff Jr. coming out of the scouting combine.

Per HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, the Kings "are enamored with" the Arkansas standout.

One potential complicating factor is Acuff may not be on the board when the Kings' turn comes up. B/R's Jonathan Wasserman's most recent mock draft has Acuff projected to land with the Los Angeles Clippers at No. 5.

The Kings have frequently popped up as the absolute lowest spot for Acuff. ESPN's Jeremy Woo noted in his post-combine mock released on May 19 there are connections between the Kings organization and Acuff, including general manager Scott Perry having coached Acuff's father at Eastern Kentucky.

Coming out of the combine, Wasserman cited Acuff as one of the winners from the event because he measured in better than expected at 6'2" with a standing reach of 8'2½" and weighed in at 185.8 pounds:

"Acuff's size, weight and length very closely mirror Damian Lillard's from the 2012 NBA combine, when the nine-time All-Star came in at 6'1¾", 188 pounds with a 6'7¾" wingspan. Immanuel Quickley is a more recent guard with similar measurements who hasn't necessarily been restricted by his tools at either end."

The Kings' infatuation with Acuff makes sense because Devin Carter, the No. 13 pick in the 2024 draft, is their only point guard under contract right now. Russell Westbrook is set to become a free agent. Killian Hayes has a $3 million team option. Isaiah Stevens is a restricted free agent on a two-way contract.

None of those players is a long-term solution as a starting point guard. Carter in theory could be, but he hasn't shown much over his first two NBA seasons to warrant a lot of confidence.

Acuff was named 2025-26 SEC Player of the Year as a freshman at Arkansas. He averaged 23.5 points on 44.0 percent three-point shooting, 6.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game in 36 starts.

The 19-year-old stepped up his game on the biggest stage. He averaged 29.8 points on 45.0 percent shooting from behind the arc and 6.5 assists per game in six starts between the SEC and NCAA tournaments.

Sacramento needs as many building blocks as it can get coming off a 22-60 record this season. It was the franchise's worst mark since going 17-65 in 2008-09.