{"id":343288,"date":"2026-06-02T19:16:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T19:16:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/343288\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T19:16:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T19:16:18","slug":"nba-insider-says-3-teams-are-targetting-darius-acuff-jr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/343288\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Insider says 3 teams are targetting Darius Acuff Jr."},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The Sacramento Kings continue to be one of the teams most heavily linked to Arkansas star guard Darius Acuff Jr. ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft, but whether they will have the opportunity to select him remains one of the biggest questions facing the franchise.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\"><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BrettSiegelNBA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">National NBA insider Brett Siegel of Clutch Points<\/a> joined <a href=\"https:\/\/sactownsports.com\/shows\/the-drive-guys-with-kevin-gleason-allen-stiles\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Sactown Sports\u2019 The Drive Guys<\/a> and shed light on Acuff\u2019s growing market around the league, while also discussing Sacramento\u2019s position with the seventh overall pick.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Acuff is coming off a dominant freshman season at Arkansas, averaging 23.5 points and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 44 percent from three-point range.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">His production earned him SEC Player of the Year, SEC Rookie of the Year, and Consensus All-American honors, making him one of the most sought-after prospects in this year\u2019s draft class.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-63631\" class=\" wp-image-63631\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2268541403-1-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 26: Darius Acuff Jr. #5 of the Arkansas Razorbacks looks on against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 26, 2026 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw\/Getty Images)\" width=\"719\" height=\"479\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-63631\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Photo by Ezra Shaw\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>More on Darius Acuff Jr.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">According to Siegel, three teams are consistently being connected to Darius Acuff Jr. near the top of the lottery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">\u201cAs of right now, there are three teams that we know have interests, and it\u2019s the three teams that everybody\u2019s been mentioning,\u201d Siegel said. \u201cIt starts with the Los Angeles Clippers at five, the Brooklyn Nets at six, and the Sacramento Kings at seven.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The challenge for Sacramento is determining how much of that reported interest from the Clippers and Nets is genuine. Siegel suggested that both organizations could be seeking leverage and trying to entice the Kings to move up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">\u201cWe know that Acuff is number one on their board,\u201d Siegel said. \u201cSo this could just be a smokescreen\u2026 to try to get a trade done, knowing that the Kings would trade up to get Acuff.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Siegel noted that applying pressure to teams during the pre-draft process is a common strategy in the NBA, especially when organizations are looking to acquire additional assets.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-63447\" class=\" wp-image-63447\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2268338794-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 25: Darius Acuff Jr. #5 of the Arkansas Razorbacks shoots the ball during the Sweet Sixteen Practice Day at SAP Center on March 25, 2026 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw\/Getty Images)\" width=\"720\" height=\"480\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-63447\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Photo by Ezra Shaw\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Adding another wrinkle to the situation is the Dallas Mavericks, who own the ninth pick. Siegel said league sources have indicated that Dallas also has some interest in Darius Acuff, potentially creating another team capable of moving up the board.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Despite the growing speculation, Siegel cautioned that draft-season information should always be viewed carefully.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">\u201cI\u2019ll play devil\u2019s advocate here,\u201d Siegel said. \u201cMaybe Acuff\u2019s not number one on their board. Maybe they\u2019re just telling everybody that\u2019s who they like.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of the gamesmanship taking place behind the scenes, Acuff remains firmly in the conversation for Sacramento.<\/p>\n<p>Whether the Kings stay at No. 7 or explore a move up the board, the Arkansas standout continues to be the prospect most closely associated with the franchise heading into draft month.<\/p>\n<p>Listen to\u00a0The Drive Guys\u00a0from 2 \u2013 6 p.m. PST, Monday through Friday, on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/sactownsports.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sactown Sports 1140.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports<\/p>\n<p>What is the next Sacramento Kings Offseason Event?<\/p>\n<p>The Sacramento Kings are preparing for a crucial 2026 NBA Draft, which is set to take place from Tuesday, June 23rd, through Wednesday, June 24th.<\/p>\n<p>Sacramento owns the 7th pick in the Draft, giving them a chance at selecting a talented player with upside, such as Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr., Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr., Houston\u2019s Kingston Flemings, and Illinois guard Keaton Wagler, among others.<\/p>\n<p>Be sure to stay locked into Sactown Sports for pre-draft workout news, player breakdowns, draft rumors and MUCH more.<\/p>\n<p>Upcoming Sacramento Kings &amp; NBA Offseason Schedule<\/p>\n<p>Tuesday, June 23rd\u00a0\u2013 NBA Draft (Round 1)<br \/>\nWednesday, June 24th\u00a0\u2013 NBA Draft (Round 2)<br \/>\nTuesday, June 30th\u00a0\u2013 NBA Free Agency negotiation period begins (3 PM PT)<br \/>\nSaturday, July 4th \u2013 Monday, July 6th \u2013 California Classic at Golden 1 Center<br \/>\nThursday, July 9th\u00a0\u2013 NBA Las Vegas Summer League begins<br \/>\nMonday, July 13th\u00a0\u2013 Free Agency moratorium ends \/ signings can become official<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Thank you for reading\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/sactownsports.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">SactownSports.com<\/a>. Follow us on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Sactown1140\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMMGengsw2Ki2Aw?hl=en-US&amp;gl=US&amp;ceid=US:en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Google News<\/a>, and subscribe to our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/SactownSports1140\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">YouTube<\/a>\u00a0channel.<\/p>\n<p>                    <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Sacramento Kings continue to be one of the teams most heavily linked to Arkansas star guard Darius&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":343289,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122],"class_list":["post-343288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343288","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=343288"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343288\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/343289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=343288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=343288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=343288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}