David Aldridge of NBA.com, who is unimpeachable, reported on Wednesday that the Sacramento Kings rejected the Houston Rockets' offer of Kyle Lowry and the No. 16 pick for the No. 5 and Chuck Hayes. That's not nothing: Lowry is a fine player and a veteran to boot, and hey!, the Kings actually didn't instinctively say 'yes' when Daryl Morey pitched something. If only that would have happened in 2010!

The Kings may very well value this pick more than we've been led to believe. There's been such a steady drumbeat for a trade since ... heck, well before the draft that it has really seemed inevitable. The tone seems to have changed, perhaps because it's looking like perhaps Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will be available. Shooting aside, he's otherwise the perfect fit. It's hard to find a trade that would be better for the Kings than just taking MKG would be.

Along these lines, Grant Napear was pretty loose with his thoughts on who the Kings will take. I only heard a spell of his show, but he indicated that he doesn't think it will be Harrison Barnes, John Henson or Tyler Zeller at No. 5. He was quite positive of MKG, Damian Lillard and Dion Waiters. I, for one, wouldn't be surprised if it ended up being Lillard there.