Baylor Bears guard Jared Butler on Monday reportedly met with the Sacramento Kings ahead of the NBA draft, according to Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee.
Butler dined with the Kings’ front office in Sacramento and then visited the team facility on Tuesday. He was only scheduled to interview with the Kings in person but did not participate in a pre-draft group workout with other players.
He is currently not permitted to practice or play in the NBA after he was referred to a Fitness-to-Play panel. Butler was reportedly diagnosed with a heart condition when he first committed to play at Alabama in 2018 and will need to be cleared before he can resume on-court work.
The 6-foot-3 guard transferred to Baylor and was cleared to play as a full participant in each of the past three seasons with the Bears. He averaged 16.7 points, 4.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds and two steals in 30 games last season, earning All-Big 12 first-team honors in the process.
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Butler last month declined to speak about the condition and said it was his plan all along to skip pre-draft workouts at the combine. He is staying positive and is leaning on his faith regarding his uncertain future in the league.
He is widely considered to be a first-round pick after a strong junior campaign. He was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player after scoring 17 points in the Final Four and 22 points in the national title game.
The Kings enter draft night with the ninth and 39th selections, respectively. Certainly, Butler projects to be available when the Kings are on the clock, though his status for the draft is up in the air given his health concerns. It is unclear if a team will select him without medical clearance.
While his future is uncertain, Butler will continue to meet with teams until his situation can be sorted out. Of course, a potential heart condition takes precedence over basketball as the NBA community will be hoping for a full recovery for him.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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