Report: Kings sending two picks to Pacers in Duarte trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
It looks like the Kings got some backcourt help to lighten De’Aaron Fox’s load.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday, citing sources, that Sacramento is acquiring Chris Duarte from the Indiana Pacers for two second-round draft picks, one in 2028 and another in 2030.
On June 30, Shams Charania of The Athletics reported that the Kings and Pacers were “close to an agreement” to send the 26-year-old to Sacramento for unspecified draft compensation.
Now it’s clear what Indiana will get in exchange for Duarte, a promising young guard who needs a fresh start.
The Pacers initially drafted the 6-foot-6 guard 13th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft and almost immediately he made an impact. During his rookie year, Duarte played in 55 games — 39 starts — and averaged 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 28.0 minutes per game.
Duarte, however, saw his playing time dwindle in the 2022-23 NBA season, as guard play began to center around Bennedict Mathurin, the No. 6 pick in the 2022 draft.
Still, Duarte was effective in his limited role.
Despite playing almost nine fewer minutes in his sophomore year compared to his rookie season, Duarte still averaged a respectable 7.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists. in 46 games. Although his shooting percentages were lower last season, having to deal with inconsistent playing time tends to do that.
And after a year, Duarte will finally be in Sacramento.
Prior to the 2022 draft, Indiana reportedly approached Sacramento and offered Duarte and the sixth pick in exchange for the fourth pick, which the Kings used to draft Keegan Murray, who the Pacers also wanted to select.
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With EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov joining the Kings this summer to go along with their addition of Duarte, it looks like Sacramento is set to have another successful regular season.
And if all goes well for the Kings and their new additions, they could also be in line for a deeper playoff next season.