{"id":333056,"date":"2026-05-26T16:51:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T16:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/333056\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T16:51:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T16:51:10","slug":"nba-rumors-2-teams-want-to-force-sacramento-kings-into-aggressive-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/333056\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Rumors: 2 Teams Want to ‘Force’ Sacramento Kings Into Aggressive Move"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Sacramento Kings<\/a> have the seventh overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, with NBA rumors already swirling about their top target. While there\u2019s a decent chance Sacramento\u2019s top target is available at No. 7, it appears that some around the league will try to exploit the worst-kept secret.<\/p>\n

Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints<\/a> said that the Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets want to \u201cforce the Kings\u2019 hand\u201d by having them trade up from the seventh pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.<\/p>\n

Related: Kings Enamored with Top Draft Prospect<\/a><\/p>\n

All of this centers around Arkansas Razorbacks point guard Darius Acuff Jr. The NBA Draft rumors have been persistent for weeks, all suggesting the All-American guard is Sacramento\u2019s top target.<\/p>\n

Darius Acuff stats (ESPN<\/a>):\u00a023.5 PPG, 6.4 APG, 3.1 RPG, 48.4% FG, 2.5 3PM per game, 44% 3PT<\/p>\n

In terms of draft capital, the Kings have their own second-round picks through 2027 and an unprotected Minnesota Timberwolves first-round pick in 2031. Brooklyn and Los Angeles would certainly be seeking a future first-round pick or swap rights to move down.<\/p>\n

There are a few reasons to believe the buzz. Kings general manager Scott Perry coached Acuff\u2019s father in college, and Sacramento is known to be in the market for a point guard. Acuff, the reigning SEC Player of the Year, would give Sacramento a playmaker who is a capable scorer and can create for others.<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a0Sacramento Kings Linked to Big Man in Free Agency<\/a><\/p>\n

However, analytics point to Acuff being not only the worst defender in the 2026 NBA Draft but also one of the worst defensive guards since Trae Young. At a time when NBA teams have become increasingly wary of investing in small guards with significant defensive limitations, Acuff is an outlier for what the league wants in a modern point guard.<\/p>\n

Acuff\u2019s offensive skills and his athleticism could still make him worth the seventh overall pick, and NBA teams have been more hesitant about paying smaller guards rather than drafting them. Trading up for Acuff, however, could prove to be a gamble with limited upside for Sacramento.<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a0Kings Linked to Bizarre Trade for Superstar<\/a><\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a distinct possibility that all of this is smoke. The current Kings front office hasn\u2019t exactly been known for a lot of leaks, so the persistent buzz about their love for Acuff could be overplayed. A definitive answer will come on June 23.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"avatar\"<\/p>\n

\t\tMatt Johnson is Senior Editor of NFL and College Football for Sportsnaut. His work, including weekly NFL and college … More about Matt Johnson<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Sacramento Kings have the seventh overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, with NBA rumors already swirling…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":333057,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,128,122],"class_list":["post-333056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-kings","tag-sacramento-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=333056"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333056\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/333057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=333056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=333056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=333056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}