The phones have been ringing off the hook today with just 48 hours to go before the NBA draft. Here are some more quick hitters on what I’m hearing.
• Would the Kings be willing to send the No. 7 pick to the Nuggets for Raymond Felton and the No. 22 pick? The Kings have had interest in Felton but it’s probably going to take them giving up the No. 7 pick to get him. I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Nuggets grab Jonas Valanciunas or Bismack Biyombo if they could get up to No. 7.
This could make some sense for both sides. It looks more and more like the Kings see franchise player Tyreke Evans as more of a natural 2 or a 3 than they see him as a true point guard, and the excellence of Ty Lawson makes Felton somewhat superfluous for Denver, although he certainly did play well for them after coming over in the Carmelo Anthony trade last season.
It’s interesting that Ford believes the Nuggets will target a big man with the pick, specifically Valanciunas -- Biyombo would make some sense as a replacement for Kenyon Martin, who the Nuggets will not re-sign, but I doubt the Nuggets will go for Valanciunas, as they seem committed to keeping restricted free agent Nene this off-season. Still, with the way these pre-draft rumors have been swirling around, nothing would surprise me at this point.
