Markelle Fultz is working out for the Kings. Is Sacramento trying to trade up to No. 1?

Washington guard Markelle Fultz is the heavy favorite to be the first pick in the 2017 NBA draft on June 22. Right now, the Boston Celtics hold that pick. Why, then, is Fultz reportedly set to work out for the Sacramento Kings?

Update: Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee said Fultz won’t visit Sacramento this Sunday, but that a visit is still possible.

The Kings hold picks No. 5 and No. 10 in the first round. Sacramento has already been involved in trade rumors, with one report saying the team could potentially trade up to the third pick to select De’Aaron Fox.

Would the Kings have enough ammunition to trade up to No. 1? Would Boston really trade out the top spot for more picks rather than looking for an established superstar? Why is Fultz taking time out of his busy schedule to visit Sacramento?

With the draft less than two weeks away, rumor season is in full swing. This is our best guess at figuring out what Fultz’s workout for the Kings could actually mean.

Fultz is entering the draft as the consensus top player, but we have no idea how Danny Ainge and Boston’s brass views him. This is a deep and talented draft within the top 10. It’s possible Ainge likes another player just as much as Fultz.

Let’s say, hypothetically, that the Celtics love Duke forward Jayson Tatum. By pairing Tatum with last year’s No. 3 pick, Jaylen Brown, Boston would have two big wings with complementary skill sets. Tatum has go-to scoring ability, while Brown projects as the better defender because of his superior athleticism. There’s a lot to like about that potential pairing.

If Boston has Tatum (or another player) rated as highly as Fultz, a trade with the Kings could make some sense. If Tatum is still around at No. 5, Boston could send Fultz to Sacramento for No. 5, No. 10, and a young veteran like center Willie Cauley-Stein. Boston has been looking for rim protection for years, and Cauley-Stein could provide it.

This would be using the first pick to address multiple needs rather than simply handing the future of the franchise off to Fultz. It might seem like a long shot, but we know Ainge has never been scared to make a deal. This would be his most courageous move yet.

I advised the Kings against trading up to No. 3 for De’Aaron Fox earlier this week. The Kings simply have too many holes to deal two top-10 picks for a player who still might be available when their No. 5 selection rolls around.

Fultz is different. If a hypothetical offer of No. 5 + No. 10 + Willie Cauley-Stein is on the table, Sacramento would have to do the trade.

Fultz has all the makings of a superstar guard. He can drain jumpers off the dribble and finish like an acrobat at the rim, and he plays with a rare creativity when the ball is in his hands. I like to compare him to a bigger Kyrie Irving — and that extra size should mean he won’t have the same defensive issues Irving does.

My guess is that Fultz eventually develops into one of the best guards in the NBA. If Boston is thinking about trading out of the first pick, the Kings (or any other franchise) would be wise to make a big offer for the opportunity to draft him.

It’s fun to speculate about potential trades like this one, but it still doesn’t really pass the sniff test. Does Boston really need more picks? Probably not. If the Celtics aren’t completely sold on Fultz, dealing the top pick to Chicago for Jimmy Butler or Indiana for Paul George makes more sense.

Kudos to the Kings for getting Fultz in town, though. A year ago, there were reports that players were scared to work out for Sacramento given the dysfunction in the front office. That doesn’t appear to be the case anymore.

Does this workout actually mean anything? Probably not. We just can’t wait for the draft to finally arrive on June 22.