Though there was a shakeup at No. 1, with Paolo Banchero going first to Orlando, no player at the top of this year's NBA draft came In with a broader range of outcomes than Purdue's Jaden Ivey.
He was widely regarded as the No. 4 prospect among this draft crop, but the Sacramento Kings drew the fourth pick and it was made known to the Kings that Ivey would rather be elsewhere. Creative Arts Agency also represents current Sacramento guard Davion Mitchell as well as the player they traded away after drafting Mitchell, Tyrese Haliburton.
The Kings could have traded the picked, with the New York Knicks being especially eager to land the former Boilermaker All-American.
The Detroit Pistons were sitting there at 5 hoping Sacramento would just hold the pick and pass, which it did, selecting Iowa's Keegan Murray fourth.
"It was a great workout (with Detroit) and I really liked the organization, but I had no idea where I was going to end up," Ivey said during his post-pick press conference at the Barclays Center. "When I heard my name called, it was crazy."
Though those three tall, versatile and skilled big men went with the top three picks, and Murray was Sacramento's choice, Ivey might have been the most talented player in this draft, the sort of supreme athlete that tends to excel in the pros.
That athleticism could make Ivey a nice complement to last year's No. 1 pick, Cade Cunningham, in the Pistons' backcourt.
"It's a dream come true for me," Ivey said. "I remember being a young boy watching some of the great players being drafted and I didn't want to stop until I was walking about that stage and shaking the commissioner's hand."
Video from Brooklyn courtesy of Tom Kakert.
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