Would Darius Acuff Jr. prefer to play for the Kings?

Matt George explains why he believes the Sacramento Kings would be an enticing landing spot for 2026 NBA Draft prospect Darius Acuff Jr.

BY BRENDEN NUNES

May 15, 2026, 10:20 AM

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Of the crop of highly talented guards expected to go in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr. seems to be the favorite of many scouts, analysts, and certainly Sacramento Kings’ fans.

Conversations surrounding the decision that the Kings’ general manager, Scott Perry, will face as they currently own the seventh overall pick will continue to circulate. But will Acuff be available when their pick comes around?

While trading up could certainly be considered, maybe there’s another route to adding Darius Acuff Jr.

On Friday’s edition of The Matt George Podcast, Matt George explained why he believes the Razorbacks freshman scoring hub last season could prefer to land in California’s capital rather than with the Los Angeles Clippers or Brooklyn Nets, who own the two spots before the Kings.

“Do not underestimate the power of a player’s preference,” George said. “Listen to me closely. If a player has a preferred destination, if a player’s camp lets it be known that their player would prefer to go somewhere else, that is not the end-all be-all.”

He referenced the 2025 Draft, when Ace Bailey reportedly didn’t want to be selected by Utah, only for the Jazz to bring him in anyway. But there are also instances like Tyrese Haliburton, who had certain teams he seemingly influenced not to select him because they already rostered a heavy-usage point guard.

“It’s again not concrete, it’s not an end-all be-all, but it’s a very legitimate scenario, and something that I believe is gaining momentum,” he continued about Acuff’s potential preference.

The obvious follow-up is, why would a player prefer to land with the Kings, who have very minimal future pieces aside from still unproven rookies in Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud, and Dylan Cardwell? Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Domantas Sabonis have very uncertain futures.

Well, the 6’2″ guard was one of a handful of players to average more than 15 shot attempts per game and averaged a team-leading 23.5 points and 6.4 assists in the process. He was practically their entire offense. So, maybe that is the role he’s also hoping to find at the next level? A preexisting relationship between the Kings and Acuff already exists as well.

“There’s a familiarity between Sacramento Kings General Manager Scott Perry and Darius Acuff Jr.,” George continued. “One: Detroit ties. But the big thing is that Scott Perry was the head coach for Darius Acuff Senior, Darius Acuff Junior’s father at (Eastern Kentucky in 1998-99).”

“But in addition to that pre-existing relationship, or the very least an understanding of one another, Sacramento’s opportunities, I believe, are incredibly enticing to Darius Acuff Jr. Any one of these point guards, any one of them knows that Sacramento is desperate for a point guard.”

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