Kings Reportedly 'Shunned by Agents' During 2016 NBA Draft Process

The Sacramento Kings are slated to pick eighth in the first round of Thursday night's NBA draft, but a consensus regarding their potential selection has been elusive to this point.

As it turns out, there's a good reason for that.

According to ESPN.com's Chad Ford, the Kings "didn't even get medicals on most of the top 10 prospects" and have "been completely shunned by agents." Ford added that Vanderbilt's Wade Baldwin IV was the only player in ESPN's top 30 who worked out in front of Kings brass.

However, ABC10's Sean Cunningham reported Sacramento has more information than Ford initially reported:

As far as projections go, Ford's latest mock draft has the Kings landing Oklahoma Sooners sharpshooter Buddy Hield at No. 8. However, he noted if Hield is off the board, Gonzaga's Domantas Sabonis is a "dark horse" and that "the Kings are very high on him."

Elsewhere, DraftExpress has the Kings taking California Golden Bears small forward Jaylen Brown.

If Sacramento drafts for need, a point guard could be its target. Rajon Rondo will become an unrestricted free agent July 1, and Darren Collison is facing domestic violence charges, according to CSNBayArea.com.

Assuming Providence Friars floor general Kris Dunn is off the board, that would leave Baldwin and Washington Huskies point guard Dejounte Murray as the best available ball-handlers.

Player	MPG	PPG	APG	SPG	FG%	3P%	PER
Wade Baldwin	30.4	14.1	5.2	1.2	42.7	40.6	20.7
Dejounte Murray	33.5	16.1	4.4	1.8	40.6	28.8	16.8

Murray in particular is intriguing thanks to his tremendous length (6'9 ½" wingspan) and his knack for finishing at the rim after slicing through the lane with long strides.

"His ability to get into the paint is probably unmatched in this draft outside of Dunn," NBA scouts told Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis. "He's wild now. He can throw it to the cheerleaders. He's a little bit of a risk, but you could hit a home run with this guy."

Baldwin, who's imposing thanks to a 6'11 ¼" wingspan, plays with less reckless abandon and offers more stability as a shooter. He knocked down 40.6 percent of his triples last season compared to 28.8 from Murray.

But if the Kings opt for someone other than Baldwin, they'll apparently do so with less information at their disposal than other lottery teams.