Live NBA draft/trade tracker: Kings take Davion Mitchell at No. 9; no deal for Buddy Hield

Note: This story will be updated throughout the day.

Welcome to the 2021 NBA draft and swap meet!

The draft will be held Thursday evening at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, but the action could start early in the day with any number of trade possibilities throughout the league.

The Kings have the ninth pick in the first round and the 39th overall pick in the second round, but those picks and multiple players, including Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley III, could be traded by the end of the night. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported there were “a lot of teams knocking on the door for Sacramento” at No. 9, noting there’s a high price to move into the top 10 in this draft.

Meanwhile, there were multiple reports that the Kings were discussing a deal that would send Hield to the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Philadelphia 76ers and other teams were also showing interest in the Bahamian 3-point bomber. Late Wednesday night, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported the Lakers had “stepped up their efforts” to acquire Hield by adding the No. 22 pick to a package that would include some combination of Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Bagley, who came out of Duke as the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NBA draft, is another player who could be moved in a draft-day deal.

This story will be updated with all the latest trade news and draft picks, so check back throughout the day for more. Be sure to follow @jandersonsacbee on Twitter and turn on notifications for all the latest alerts.

Another option for Lakers?

Sources tell veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein the Lakers’ talks with the Kings regarding a Buddy Hield trade are “the most serious so far,” but the San Antonio Spurs could be involved on some level as well. Stein reports the Spurs are also believed to have interest in Kuzma in a possible sign-and-trade scenario involving DeMar DeRozan, who will be an unrestricted free agent.

DeRozan, a 31-year-old guard who spent his first nine seasons with the Toronto Raptors, averaged 21.6 points per game for the Spurs last season. DeRozan is a four-time All-Star, but he is a career 28.1% 3-point shooter who made 25.7% in 2020-21, so he wouldn’t help the Lakers space the floor as much as Hield. This leak could be a gentle nudge from the Lakers, who might be getting antsy while the Kings consider their options.

Fake news

The Onion offered a little levity to break the tension Thursday morning, posting a satirical story under an amusing headline: “Kings Concerned About Character Issues After Multiple Prospects Lie About Being Excited To Play For Sacramento.”

The Onion “reported” the Kings were “leaning toward drafting a European prospect who might not know enough about NBA teams to properly judge the franchise.”

Ben Simmons update

The Kings have expressed interest in Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons, but the asking price remains sky high.

Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting the Golden State Warriors declined an audacious offer from the 76ers, who wanted Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman, the No. 7 pick, the No. 14 pick and two future first-round picks. This news comes after a previous report from The Action Network that the Toronto Raptors declined a deal for Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby and the No. 4 pick.

Woj bomb

One of the hang-ups in a potential Kings-Lakers deal was Harrell’s decision to opt in or out of his $9.7 million player option for next season. Wojnarowski is now reporting Harrell will opt in, meaning he can be included in the trade. Wojnarowski noted that Harrell’s decisions allows the Lakers to “move toward completing a deal to acquire Kings guard Buddy Hield,” although he noted the deal has not been agreed upon.

Wait … what?

The Athletic’s Shams Charania dropped a bomb of his own, possibly blowing up a potential deal between the Kings and Lakers.

Sources told Charania the Lakers and Wizards were in serious talks on a trade that would send Russell Westbrook to Los Angeles in exchange for Kuzma, Harrell, Caldwell-Pope and possibly the No. 22 pick. Wojnarowski confirmed the talks between the Lakers and Wizards, reporting the two teams were “near a deal.”

At 5:15 p.m., shortly after the start of the draft, Charania reported the Wizards had agreed to trade Westbrook to the Lakers for Kuzma, Harrell, Caldwell-Pope and the No. 22 pick.

No. 1 pick

The Detroit Pistons selected Cade Cunningham with the No. 1 pick. Cunningham becomes the face of a franchise in Detroit, where the Pistons add a phenomenal talent to a young core consisting of Saddiq Bey, Killian Hayes and Isaiah Stewart. The 19-year-old playmaker had a stellar freshman campaign at Oklahoma State, where he averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.6 steals. With a rare blend of size, skills, vision and versatility, he can do it all.

Kings pick Davion Mitchell

The Kings selected Davion Mitchell, a 6-foot-1 ¼ point guard from Baylor, with the No. 9 pick. Mitchell, one of the best defenders in the draft, averaged 14.0 points, 5.5 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.9 steals as a junior at Baylor, leading the Bears to their first NCAA championship.

Mitchell shot 51.1% from the field and 44.7% from 3-point range, but converted just 64.1% of his free-throw attempts. ESPN analysts described Mitchell as a relentless driver and tenacious defender, calling him the “best on-ball defender in this draft.”

NBA draft

First-round

1. Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham

2. Houston Rockets: Jalen Green

3. Cleveland Cavaliers: Evan Mobley

4. Toronto Raptors: Scottie Barnes

5. Orlando Magic: Jalen Suggs

6. Oklahoma City Thunder: Josh Giddey

7. Golden State Warriors: Jonathan Kuminga

8. Orlando Magic: Franz Wagner

9. Sacramento Kings: Davion Mitchell

10. Memphis Grizzlies: Ziaire Williams

11. Charlotte Hornets: James Bouknight

12. San Antonio Spurs: Joshua Primo

13. Indiana Pacers: Chris Duarte

14. Golden State Warriors: Moses Moody

15. Washington Wizards: Corey Kispert

16. Oklahoma City Thunder: Alperen Sengun

17. New Orleans Pelicans: Trey Murphy III

18. Oklahoma City Thunder: Tre Mann

19. New York Knicks: Kai Jones

20. Atlanta Hawks: Jalen Johnson

21. New York Knicks: Keon Johnson

22. Los Angeles Lakers: Isaiah Jackson

23. Houston Rockets: Usman Garuba

24. Houston Rockets: Josh Christopher

25. Los Angeles Clippers: Quentin Grimes

26. Denver Nuggets: Nah’Shon Hyland

27. Brooklyn Nets: Cameron Thomas

28. Philadelphia 76ers: Jaden Springer

29. Phoenix Suns: Day’Ron Sharpe

30. Utah Jazz: Santi Aldama