1. Detroit Pistons
This potential rivalry is centered primarily around Keegan Murray and Jaden Ivey. The 2022 NBA Draft was largely viewed as a four-player draft with Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, JaBari Smith Jr., and Jaden Ivey at the top.
That year, Sacramento had the fourth pick and the Pistons the fifth one. When the Kings picked Murray, Detroit was ecstatic because they wanted Ivey. Going into the draft and for a while after, Murray was extremely undervalued.
As of now, he has established himself as the better player, however. While Ivey is going in and out of the starting lineup on one of the worst teams we have ever seen in league history, Murray is a full-time starter on a competitive team. During their rookie season, Ivey put up better stats overall, but Murray set a new record for three-pointers made in a rookie season and started in the playoffs.
No matter who is the better player right now, both will most likely be All-Stars at some point in their career, and the Pistons won’t be terrible for much longer. During that journey, the two players—and with them the teams that drafted them—will always be connected.
We have seen other players, who were in similar positions face off during Rivals Week, like Luka Doncic and Trae Young, for example. So, it is likely that the Kings and the Pistons will go down the same road once Murray and Ivey are bigger names in the league.