Sacramento Kings Shopping Draft Pick, Thaddeus Young In Play?

While you were bouncing up and down in Miller's and deliriously hugging a random Liberty Ballers reader after the Sixers claimed the Pelicans' No. 10 overall pick on Tuesday, NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper whispered into the Twittersphere that the Sacramento Kings immediately placed the No. 8 overall pick on the trading block. Sactown reportedly wants to bring in an impact veteran player to their locker room. That does make some sense, even though they would be forfeiting an opportunity to draft a quality starter at #8.

Naturally, the reaction from those who follow the Sixers involved the team's most valuable and available trade asset.

Thad. RT @SHowardCooper: Kings put No. 8 on the trade block, wanting veteran instead of next rookie to develop.

— Michael Levin (@Michael_Levin) May 21, 2014

In the hour before Sam Hinkie flipped Jrue Holiday and 2013's No. 42 pick for Nerlens Noel and now the No. 10 pick in this June's draft, multiple sources informed Liberty Ballers that the Kings and Sixers discussed a trade centered around swapping Thad Young for DeMarcus Cousins. One source even said the two sides were very close to working a deal to send the No. 11 Pick, Holiday and Young to Sacramento for the No. 7 pick and Cousins. But as the case has been with all major Hinkie moves thus far during his tenure in Philadelphia, information stopped leaking in the moments before he pulled the trigger that sent Jrue to NOLA.

Since, Sacramento has invested in Cousins as their franchise player and traded for Rudy Gay. Even if you're not convinced Gay is part of Sacramento's future plans — from what I've heard, it seems like he is — they still have Derrick Williams, Jason Thompson, and Carl Landry on the books. Integrating Thad Young into that front line might not be as smooth a transaction as it was a year ago. 

Still, you have to imagine Hinkie will make a call to Sacramento and test the waters. Tuesday, Levin messed around on Twitter and got Sactown Royalty Associate Editor Greg Wissinger to swap Thad and No. 47 for Jason Thompson and No. 8. Thompson, a former lottery pick from Rider, has two years left on his deal to Thad's one year, plus player option.

If the Sixers were able to acquire the 8th pick, it unlocks a whole new world of trade possibilities for Hinkie — trading up, trading down, etc. 

Only time will tell. And we're just about a month away from hearing.