fbpx
Mar. 20, 4:30 PM
SAC @ TOR
Mar. 21, 4:00 PM
SAC @ WAS
Mar. 23, 4:00 PM
SAC @ ORL
Mar. 25, 7:00 PM
PHI @ SAC
Mar. 26, 7:00 PM
DAL @ SAC
Mar. 29, 7:00 PM
DAL @ SAC
Mar. 31, 6:00 PM
UTH @ SAC
Apr. 02, 7:00 PM
LAC @ SAC
Apr. 04, 4:30 PM
SAC @ NYK
Apr. 05, 4:30 PM
SAC @ BOS
Apr. 07, 4:30 PM
SAC @ BKN
Apr. 09, 5:00 PM
SAC @ OKC
Apr. 11, 7:00 PM
NOH @ SAC
Apr. 12, 7:30 PM
PHO @ SAC
Apr. 14, 12:30 PM
POR @ SAC

The Kings Herald Staff Mock Draft

It's armchair GM time!
By | 52 Comments | Jul 28, 2021

Jun 21, 2018; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Marvin Bagley III (Duke) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number two overall pick to the Sacramento Kings in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to the annual Kings Herald mock lottery, where everything is made up and the picks don’t matter. We’ve gathered the brilliant minds of TKH (and Will) together to make the first 14 selections of the 2021 NBA Draft. Each temporary General Manager will justify their pick with one or two paragraphs, no trades or other shenanigans allowed.

1. DETROIT PISTONS: CADE CUNNINGHAM, G/F, OKLAHOMA ST.

Akis: I’ve done a lot less draft research than most of the others on our staff so I thought I’d take the no-brainer pick here.  Cunningham seems like a very complete prospect and if anyone but him goes at #1 I will be surprised.  He’s got a highly advanced offensive game for his age, able to score from anywhere on the court.  He’s a smart player who is comfortable with or without the ball in his hands, and has great vision as a playmaker.  He stands out defensively as well, reading passing lanes and displaying great basketball IQ in a team set.  He’s kinda like a souped up Tyrese Haliburton.  His only real weakness seems to be a bit of a turnover problem, as he averaged 4 a game last season, and he’s not the most explosive athlete.  But he doesn’t have a ton of weaknesses and should be ready to contribute at a high level from Day 1 in Detroit.  Because he’s so good in so many areas, it should be fairly easy for the Pistons to assemble a roster around him since he should fit well with most players.  

2. HOUSTON ROCKETS: JALEN GREEN, G, G-LEAGUE IGNITE

Akis: This pick is much less of a no-brainer, but there are three very good choices in my mind here between Green, Mobley and Suggs. To me Green makes the most sense for the Rockets.  After trading James Harden, they need someone who can become a focal point of their offense.  Green possesses a ton of upside, especially on offense, with eye-popping athleticism and a decent shot that should only get better.  The Rockets probably aren’t going to be good for a while, and with the #2 pick they need to take a shot at someone who could be the best player in this draft.  Green has the most potential to be that outside of anyone but Cade in my opinion, but he’s also a riskier option than a Mobley or Suggs, who I view as having higher floors.  Still, it’s hard not to be tantalized by a player this young, this athletic and with an already advanced offensive skillset.  Green along with Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr. could make the Rockets a very fun team in the near future, even if they aren’t very good overall.

3. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: EVAN MOBLEY, C, USC

Greg: Assuming Cade and Green are off the board, it seems like a foregone conclusion that Cleveland takes Mobley. Mobley has huge upside and I can’t imagine he falls past three. If Cleveland doesn’t want him, they could look at trading the pick. Mobley has some overlap with Jarrett Allen, but his upside is so much higher that Cleveland can make the pick and worry about fit later.

4. TORONTO RAPTORS: JALEN SUGGS, G, GONZAGA 

Bryant: The Raptors are in a great spot – while I’m sure they’d prefer to be higher and thus control their destiny, whoever of Green, Mobley, or Suggs falls to them at 4 is a picture perfect fit for their franchise. In this mock, they end up with Suggs, who’d pair wonderfully with Fred VanFleet to move the roster forward into the post Kyle Lowry era. 

5. ORLANDO MAGIC: JONATHAN KUMINGA, F, G-LEAGUE IGNITE

Will: I’m going to create the monster of all logjams for Orlando today, but there’s too much talent there for them to ignore in the 6’7, 220 lb forward who last played for the G-League Ignite team. With Orlando taking a slower approach to their rebuilding, Kuminga’s physical profile and flashes of true two way star presents a fantastic value at five. He’s a rare blend of explosive athleticism, fluid movement and pure, raw grade-A beef and while he’s still mastered nothing at this point, he’s shown real upside as a shot creator and passer and has shown he could be a guy who can guard 1-4 at a high level€¦ in time. 

Does he still need to learn to focus up on the defensive end? Absolutely. Are his shooting inconsistencies frustrating? Sure. Orlando has plenty of ticks on the clock for Kuminga to figure out what he is and just how high he wants his ceiling to be. 

6. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER: SCOTTIE BARNES, F, FLORIDA STATE

Tony: Outside of the consensus top-4, Scottie Barnes would have been my preferred selection for the Sacramento Kings had they tanked well enough to earn a pick this high. Instead, the rich with youth gets richer with youth, and OKC lands another tremendous prospect they can afford to be patient with. Barnes is going to need some time to figure out exactly where he fits in an NBA offense, but his hustle, defense, and passing should be ready to go from the jump, and I love his fit with the rest of OKC’s young core. Sam Presti remains a wizard.

7. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: JALEN JOHNSON, F, DUKE

Rob: Setting aside all of the pick(s) trade talk, I’m making this selection as though the Dubs are keeping the pick. The standard operating procedure for Golden St. seems to be not to pass on talent. Johnson was highly thought of in most pre-season player rankings. His €œslide€ is due to his hasty departure from Duke, but my Spidey sense tells me that he has effectively squelched any concerns that the Warriors may have had. The consensus here seems to be Davion Mitchell, but the Dubs won’t pass on Johnson’s potential at a premiere NBA position. And when they pass on Mitchell, who was primarily a smokescreen in the hopes that Barnes or Kuminga would drop, don’t be surprised if a slide that takes him to the Warriors’ pick at #14 occurs.

8. ORLANDO MAGIC: ALPEREN SENGUN, F/C, BESIKTAS

Will: Is there any rebuilding team in the league that could better cover Alperen Sengun’s defensive deficiencies? The Turkish League MVP being slotted with Jonathan Isaac is an incredibly flexible front court offensive pair and tossing Wendell Carter Jr into the mix makes for an incredible mix of young offensive and defensive versatility. Sengun’s passing helps cover some of Orlando’s guards score first mentalities, his scoring helps alleviate some of the questions around their current front courts abilities to consistently put the ball in the hole, sans Nikola Vucevic. 

Orlando is swinging for the fences with their two picks in this draft and if either hit, they’ll have one of the best young cores in the league and an instant league pass favorite. 

9. SACRAMENTO KINGS: MOSES MOODY, G/F, ARKANSAS

Tim: Over the last couple of weeks, Franz Wagner’s name has been linked to Sacramento more than any other player, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s Monte McNair’s final choice, especially if a player of Moses Moody’s caliber is available. At his mid-range, non-ceiling outcome, Moody can develop into a starting-caliber, 3-and-D threat who can also create some offense for himself. If he fully blossoms, he may turn into a star role player, a la Mikal Bridges with the Phoenix Suns. Although he may be a little on the shorter end to start full-time at small forward,  Moody’s 7’1€ wingspan will make up for quite a few deficiencies on the defensive end of of the floor, especially in his first few seasons as his mind and body catch up to the speed and physicality of the NBA.

10. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: FRANZ WAGNER, F, MICHIGAN

Tim: The Grizzlies are a fascinating team to observe from a rebuilding perspective. Unlike the Kings, who act like a playoff team, despite never having been there, Memphis continues to operate in reset mode, even though they made the playoffs last year. It’s evident that their front office and ownership group doesn’t just hold the 8th seed as the ultimate goal, but that they want to build a true, contending core. And that’s where Franz Wagner steps in as one of their finishing pieces. He’s a great complement to Ja, can play alongside Jackson Jr., and his versatility on the defensive end of the floor would make them even more of a nightmare to play. Be sure to check out Brenden’s profile on Wagner to see why some Kings fans wouldn’t be upset if he ended up getting his name called one pick earlier come draft night.

11. CHARLOTTE HORNETS: JAMES BOUKNIGHT, G/F UCONN

Brenden: On my board, James Bouknight is in a tier of his own among the remaining prospects. Bouknight and LaMelo compliment each other fairly well with the UCONN guard’s great ability and awareness when cutting off-ball and explosiveness in transition. I feel fairly confident that James Bouknight is going to average somewhere around 17-20 points in the NBA during the peak of his career and that is really hard to pass up on. Malik Monk has yet to prove himself, and the Hornets can fill their hole at the center in free agency (Richaun Holmes). Bouknight projects to be a capable defender and versatile scorer on the offensive end and will at least be a microwave scorer in the NBA.

12. SAN ANTONIO SPURS: ZIAIRE WILLIAMS, F, STANFORD

Bryant: Ziaire Williams in the Spurs development program? Yes, please. Williams is a dice roll, one betting on his awful collegiate season being a nightmare and not reality, but he has some clear translatable NBA skills. If his shooting hits and he gets the patient physical development necessary, I think he has fringe All-Star potential – something the super-deep but starless Spurs really need. 

13. INDIANA PACERS: JOSH GIDDEY, G/F, ADELIADE

Bryant: The Pacers take the BPA left on the board in my book, snagging a 6’8 wing with elite passing vision, great offensive instincts, good rebounding skills for his size, and some defensive question marks. On a Pacers team that already has a ton of playmakers on offense, Giddey would fit in immediately.

14. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: DAVION MITCHELL, G, BAYLOR

Rob: And just like that, the Warriors add a player that may become part of the core this season, one that was rumored to be going to them at #7. An €œold€ and mature rookie that could energize the defense and lead by example for both Jalen Johnson and James  Wiseman. The Warriors enter this season with last year’s key contributors, plus Wiseman has a year’s experience and Klay Thompson is scheduled to return as well. The Warriors could well compete for a top four seed in the West, all while €œre-tooling.€ And the young asset cabinet is robust should the right trade come along. All hail our old/new overlords!

Now, let’s see yours!

Patreon Membership
* indicates required


To prevent spam, our system flags comments that include too many hyperlinks. If you would like to share a comment with multiple links, make sure you email [email protected] for it to be approved.
Subscribe
Notify of
52 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
RobHessing
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Author
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Author
July 28, 2021 9:58 am

“With the 9th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings select:comment image
Queshaun Mark, 2nd Jump PF, Whatsamatta U.”

Klam
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Nostradumbass 18
Nostradumbass 19
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Nostradumbass 18
Nostradumbass 19
July 28, 2021 10:24 am
Reply to  RobHessing

Oh no, Queshaun Mark got injured on draft day!

We better colon ambulance.

TerzoM
Comments
Vote Up
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Patreon Supporter
July 28, 2021 10:32 am
Reply to  Klam

No worries, Monte got thiscomment image

RobHessing
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Author
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Author
July 28, 2021 10:33 am
Reply to  TerzoM

Your Sacramend’oh Kings!

TerzoM
Comments
Vote Up
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Patreon Supporter
July 28, 2021 10:39 am
Reply to  RobHessing

We’ll be finecomment image

RobHessing
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Author
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Author
July 28, 2021 10:43 am
Reply to  TerzoM

Mo!comment image

Sportsfan957
July 28, 2021 10:36 am
Reply to  Klam

Good luck colon ambulance. The roads are shitty.

RAP87
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 28, 2021 10:06 am
  1. Pistons – Cunningham
  2. Rockets – Green
  3. Cavs – Mobley
  4. Raptors – Suggs
  5. Magic – Barnes
  6. Thunder – Bouknight
  7. Warriors – Moody
  8. Magic – Sengun 🙁
  9. Kings – Kuminga
  10. Grizzlies – Wagner
  11. Hornets – Kai Jones
  12. Spurs – Jalen Johnson
  13. Pacers – Ziaire Williams
  14. Warriors – Keon Johnson
HongKongKingsFan
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 28, 2021 4:38 pm
Reply to  RAP87

Who would have downvoted this ?

This outcome would be the BEST outcome for us.

We grabbed a talented, high potential player with #9……..

p.s. I love Kuminga !!!!!!

Last edited 2 years ago by HongKongKingsFan
RAP87
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 29, 2021 3:19 am

Rumors out there are saying Kuminga could drop as far as 11.

If that is true, Mcnair should take a chance at Kuminga even if the rumored mocks have Wagner as the pick for the Kings.

I’m also a fan of Kuminga. I believe he will be something special in 2-3 years. We shall see later on draft night! Can’t wait!

HongKongKingsFan
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 29, 2021 7:56 am
Reply to  RAP87

As I recalled, you should be the other one on TKH that also a fans of Kuminga….

We need to keep praying for that happening soon, bro…

RAP87
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 29, 2021 8:09 am

Been a fan of Kuminga as early as last year and even have him pegged as my #2 behind Cade.

I’m also a big fan of Sengun and Ziaire Williams. If one of them is the pick at #9, I’ll be very ecstatic.

BestHyperboleEver
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
July 28, 2021 11:45 am

C’mon y’all. Don’t feed the trolls.

Otis
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
July 28, 2021 11:47 am

At this point, Bill is daring the mods to ban him.

BestHyperboleEver
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
July 28, 2021 11:50 am
Reply to  Otis

Whether he’s banned or not, he’s made more than enough of a case to convince me to just scroll on by.

This feels like a good time to check-in on the potential of adding “thread-collapse” functionality.

EDIT: Huh, I guess we have it. Thread collapsed.

Last edited 2 years ago by BestHyperboleEver
Hobby916
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 28, 2021 12:01 pm

I see that we can hide the replies, which is helpful at times.

Klam
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Nostradumbass 18
Nostradumbass 19
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Nostradumbass 18
Nostradumbass 19
July 28, 2021 12:01 pm
Reply to  Hobby916

Fortunately, the comments were removed.

Otis
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
July 28, 2021 12:03 pm
Reply to  Klam

Yeah, I was going to say – even better reason not to reply. It’s just going to get deleted anyway.

Hobby916
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 28, 2021 12:05 pm
Reply to  Klam

I was reading them and then the page became much shorter, lol. I was confused and then saw that the conversation was removed in real time.

BestHyperboleEver
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
July 28, 2021 12:02 pm
Reply to  Hobby916

Yep. It’s not a full collapse, but it’ll do.

satdawg
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 28, 2021 12:02 pm

I was just gonna say he sounds really uneducated. Vivek is Hindu not Sikh lol

BestHyperboleEver
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
July 28, 2021 12:57 pm
Reply to  satdawg

Which I would normally consider an innocent mistake if the person in question hadn’t forfeited the benefit of the doubt many times over.

That said, of all places you’d think people in the Sacramento region would best know the difference considering the large Sikh population.

Bill2455
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 28, 2021 1:41 pm

Hmmm and the suggestion came from my Hindu friends who know that a Sikh is recognizably Indian. Sorry dont’ know any.

Hobby916
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 28, 2021 12:04 pm

The biggest gamble in the mock above is the Jalen Johnson pick at 7. I have heard Vecenie and others discuss him and their comments are “I just don’t see it with Jalen Johnson”. Not that Vecenie and these draft guys are 100% accurate gurus, but I do put some stock in the their evaluations over the years.

Other than that, I could see the draft shaking out that way.

CoreyBrewersD
Comments
Vote Up
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Patreon Supporter
July 28, 2021 12:07 pm
Reply to  Hobby916

Marvin 2.0?

Hobby916
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 28, 2021 12:09 pm
Reply to  CoreyBrewersD

He will be better than Marvin for sure. He passes and plays defense better already. Just a difficult player to evaluate. He has been mocked anywhere from top 10 to late 20s.

RobHessing
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Author
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Author
July 28, 2021 12:10 pm
Reply to  CoreyBrewersD

I would liken him more to collegiate level Harrison Barnes than collegiate level Marvin Bagley when it comes to draft prospect tool kit.

But 7 can sure be considered as a bit of a reach for him.

Last edited 2 years ago by RobHessing
CoreyBrewersD
Comments
Vote Up
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Patreon Supporter
July 28, 2021 12:06 pm

I don,t see Kuminga falling that far. Not a Wagner fan, from the players that could be available I like Kai Jones but Kings are not (have not?) been good at development. Guys who don’t look to require A level development to be serviceable (can do well despite the disfunction) are Bouknight, Moody, maybe Sengun, and Williams.

Looking forward to hopefully seeing some of these guys in Sac this summer for the CalClassic!

RikSmits
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
July 28, 2021 12:14 pm

I was mocked by the Kings in 2018.
I won’t be mocked again.

Hobby916
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 28, 2021 12:21 pm

Saw a reports that the Hawks are listening to offers on Reddish. Any chance a deal gets worked out that includes swapping the #9 and either Hield/Bagley/Barnes, etc. for their #20 and Reddish?

BestHyperboleEver
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
July 28, 2021 12:28 pm
Reply to  Hobby916

I was wondering if the Kings would kick those tires as well.

KangzofLeon
Comments
Comments
July 28, 2021 3:27 pm
Reply to  Hobby916

been wanting to get reddish for awhile now. Hawks are really deep and I think they can afford to trade reddish for a decent win now guy. I’m not sure I want to give up the 9th pick for reddish though, tbh.
If it was Barnes/buddy + bagz for Reddish + 20th pick, I’d feel like that’s pretty fair for both sides. We’d have to take some money back from them I’m sure

Last edited 2 years ago by KangzofLeon
BestHyperboleEver
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
July 28, 2021 12:47 pm

It’s the silly season, so who knows, but Mark Stein apparently just said he expects Holmes to re-sign with the Kings.

Hobby916
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 28, 2021 12:50 pm

That would be great for the Kings.

BestHyperboleEver
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
July 28, 2021 12:58 pm
Reply to  Hobby916

I love Richaun, but whether or not that’s great for the Kings depends on the price.

Hobby916
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 28, 2021 1:00 pm

I assumed that it would be at the 10.7m (?) they can offer…as we have not seen any freeing up of cap space yet. Anything over 14-15m would be too much, imo.

BestHyperboleEver
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
July 28, 2021 1:07 pm
Reply to  Hobby916

Yeah, at the Early Bird price, that would be fantastic.

KangzofLeon
Comments
Comments
July 28, 2021 3:32 pm

I’m estimating he’ll be offered somewhere around 13 -15m for 3 yrs. I really hope we can keep him though

Noemal916
July 28, 2021 2:15 pm

“With the 9th overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, the Kangz select Cash Considerations”

jswilliams37
July 28, 2021 6:22 pm

You guys have the grizzlies as the 10th pick when that really New Orleans’ pick

RAP87
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 29, 2021 3:25 am
Reply to  jswilliams37

Pelicans and Grizzlies had a trade earlier this week which involved the Pels 10th pick.

Badge Legend

Patreon Supporter Patreon Supporter   Registered On Day 1 Registered On Day 1   Published Post Published Post  Published Post Nostradumbass
Comment Up Votes 200 Up Votes   Comment Up Votes 500 Up Votes    1,000 Up Votes    3,000+ Up Votes

Comments 50 Comments   Comments 100 Comments    250 Comments    500 Comments    1000+ Comments