New NBA Draft Rumors Reveal Kings Interest in Darius Acuff Jr. with No. 7 Pick
The Sacramento Kings may need to make a move in the 2026 NBA draft if they hope to land their preferred prospect.
Per NBA insider Jake Fischer, there is a leaguewide "perception" that the Kings want Darius Acuff Jr. and "fear" from them that he might not be on the board at No. 7.
Fischer did note Sacramento remains "adamant" it will be happy to take any of the top guard prospects that it deems to be the best available and still on the board when that pick comes up.
The quartet of Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson are expected to come off the board in some order in the first four picks.
After that group is gone, there figures to be a run on guard prospects. B/R's Jonathan Wasserman's most recent mock has the Kings just missing out on Acuff, who is projected to be taken by the Brooklyn Nets in the sixth spot.
Wasserman has the Kings going with Kingston Flemings out of Houston. The comp for him is De'Aaron Fox, so that would have some resonance for Sacramento fans nostalgic for the franchise's one successful season in the last 20 years.
One interesting nugget developing is the apparent flirtation between Acuff and the Kings. Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports reported on his podcast (starts at 12:45 mark) that Acuff's camp wants him to land in Sacramento.
There are connections between the two sides, with Kings general manager Scott Perry having coached Acuff's father, Darius Acuff Sr., in college at Eastern Kentucky.
The Kings desperately need to add a point guard this offseason. Their current depth chart features Devin Carter as the lone player at the position. Russell Westbrook and Killian Hayes are set to become free agents.
Acuff had a stellar freshman season at Arkansas. He earned SEC Player of the Year honors and was a first-team All-American after averaging 23.5 points and 6.4 assists per game in 36 starts for the Razorbacks.
