With the second round of the NBA Draft about to begin, the Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings have agreed to a trade involving a former first-round pick.
The Kings are sending guard Davion Mitchell, forward Sasha Vezenkov and the 45th pick in this year’s draft to the Raptors, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
As part of this deal, the Kings will receive Jalen McDaniels from the Raptors. More importantly, they’ll get under the luxury tax while opening up a roster spot.
Mitchell is undoubtedly the biggest name in this trade. The former Baylor star averaged 11.5 points per game as a rookie, but his playing time has dipped dramatically the past two seasons.
This past season, Mitchell averaged 5.3 points and 1.9 assists per game for the Kings. Vezenkov, on the other hand, averaged 5.4 points per contest on 37.5 percent shooting from the 3-point line.
Perhaps a change of scenery will help Mitchell reach his full potential. But first, he’ll need to earn minutes in a backcourt that features Immanuel Quickley and Gradey Dick.
It’ll be fascinating to see what the next move is for the Kings. This trade seems like a precursor to something much more important.
Related: Wizards, Blazers Agree To Big Trade Before The 2024 NBA Draft