Well, the Sacramento Kings lost the coin flip with the Utah Jazz, putting them in the 5th spot in the Draft Lottery. The Kings now have the highest chance (25.5%) of getting the seventh pick, and an 11.5% chance at the first pick. They are guaranteed a top nine pick.
Remember back when Sacramento had the worst record and were on their way to a guaranteed top 5 pick?
Anyway, let’s take a look at some of the latest NBA mock drafts and who they have the Kings selecting.
Yahoo Sports – Cameron Boozer
The Kings select Cameron Boozer with the third overall pick. The Kings taking Boozer would be interesting in terms of not only potential, but also what that means for a fit next to Domantas Sabonis. Both are somewhat similar players, but there is the idea constantly floating out there that Sabonis would be shopped again later next season regardless.
Bleacher Report – Darius Acuff Jr.
The Kings select Darius Acuff Jr. with the fifth overall pick. Sacramento drops to 5th here, which at this point is good considering they could slide as low as ninth given the lottery odds. Yay for wins this season! Acuff raised a lot of eyebrows during the final few months of the college basketball season. He finished averaging 23.5 points, 6.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds.
NBADraft.Net – Caleb Wilson
The Kings select Caleb Wilson with the fifth overall pick. Another prediction with the Kings getting No. 5. Wilson is a tad of an unknown given he was injured for the later part of the college season, but his standing in the top 5 of mock drafts has remained consistent given his athletic and scoring abilities. Shooting is a concern, but the upside is certainly there.
At least they didn’t slip out of the top 5 in any of these selections.
The NBA Lottery is scheduled for May 10.
The Kings will do whatever it takes to get below the tax…including packaging this pick, which I’m starting to believe more and more is exactly what’s going to happen.
I also think Perry is arrogant enough to believe that he can find a starter at any spot in the draft (and his belief likely only grew stronger after watching Clifford be decent and Maxime break out), so look for the Kings to trade down for cap relief and end up with a pick in the 20’s instead.
The only trading down scenario I might be on board with is if OKC is looking to dump their picks and are willing to send out someone like Topic and/or Sober. Something like #5 for Topic and #12. Or even #5, #34, #45 for Topic, #12, and Sorber. OKC will be needing to cut salary so their young prospects may be the ones to go. I even wonder if they’d be willing to part with Cason Wallace as he is extension eligible this summer.
Yeah, I think Topic will be that good.
Topic is unproven. If the Kings have #5, they simply have to keep it. My guess is that they will get #7. and even then I would not trade.
The top 7, maybe 9, are pretty good.
to be clear, the only reason Nique and Max got starter’s minutes is because basically the entire projected starting five barely played this year. Someone has to get the points.
No argument there. Nique definitely doesn’t look like a starting caliber player in the league to me.
But Max? I really want to see what his Year 2 “jump” looks like. That, to me, is going to be everything when it comes to determining his likely career arc as either a quality starter or a quality bench guy.
it is not bad to be under the tax- no bad team wants to pay premium dollars. But they will not do anything to get under. There are options that do not include trading the pick.
I just pressed the Tankathon sim lottery button and came up with Caleb Wilson at #4. I’m leaving it there so I can carry a reasonably pleasant thought around for the rest of the day
Kevin O’Connor at Yahoo has Wilson going #2 in his recent mock draft (the same one where he as the Kings taking Boozer). He says some NBA front offices have them that high on their big boards.
I quit messing with Tankathon because Dallas kept winning the lottery too often. It got me paranoid because AD plus two No. 1 picks is probably the correct price for Luka.
I really don’t understand why the draft order has to have sooo much drama. Kings were fifth worse, should pick fifth. But no, it’s like a Bravo TV show, manufacture some drama to keep us engaged.
The reason is to disincentivize tanking because the worst team could pick 5th. The problem is it does not work in the slightest in a strong draft.
It is a stupid system in any draft. Tanking still happens, it will always happen.
I agree with both your sentences. I just meant that with a very weak draft, maybe not many teams don’t prioritize losing like many did in this season. And a bit of that could come from the dumbass lottery. YMMV
In a league where the quality free agents only go to a few teams, and agents hold sway to push their clients to certain markets the only way for teams to get an elite talent is throw the draft sadly. So in the regard it makes tanking a viable option.
I disagree. The real reason that the draft order does not follow the final standings results is so that they can sell the draft order under the table to the highest bidder. (Lets not forget the Dallas Mavericks traded away Luka Doncic for the #1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and that the Lakers sold for $10 billion the same month). Let’s face it, the Kings owner is cheap, thats why our gut is telling us we will actuall end up with the 7th-9th pick.
Not to mention that the actual draft order is still determined behind closed doors.
I don’t care if they hire a 3rd party accounting firm to handle the selections, you can still give a company you hire directions to achieve a desired outcome.
Reps from the press and each team are also in the room.
They are all bought, and so are you apparently!!!!
Not only doesn’t it work, lottery increases tanking teams
In a pure world, I agree, like the NFL but the tanking for the bottom (top pick) got embarrassing so they changed it. This has not changed the act of tanking. Tanking is far more of a risk now, but teams still do it. Going back to the NFL model won’t change that.
Just looking at the three guys mentioned in the article, I’d go with Boozer if we pick that high. Seems like a very solid player at the 4 and very young to counter ceiling talk. He will need a rim-protecting 5, but that is much easier to find than a rim-protecting 4 like we have needed since Sabonis got here.
If we pick later and Wilson is available, then I’d draft him and hire a shot doctor-type assistant coach. If he can shoot decently well, a 3-and-D PF type, his other talents are very valuable at that position.
I’d pass on Acuff unless he was the last guy in his tier in which case I’d take him. I just wouldn’t want to have to compensate for or hide a player on defense. I’d like everyone to at least hold their own at their natural position on D.
My $0.02
I could see the Kings trading Sabonis, drafting Boozer, and letting Cardwell/Boozer play heavy minutes together. Not saying I would do it, but I for sure see the Kings doing something like that.
Acuff gives me real pause. Let’s say the Kings select 7 or 8, and Acuff is the last “top guy” on the board. I look to trade down a few spots. The defense is bad. The Kings don’t have other defenders around him to compensate for that.
I could see the Sabonis going to Toronto scenario and Poeltl and picks coming back as part of the package. Peoltl next to Boozer could work and give time for Maxime and Cardwell to develop. A 4 man big rotation of Boozer, Poeltl, Maxime and Cardewll has solid defense and offense.
To be clear, I’d only taking on Poeltl and his contract if he’s coming with future draft capital. Like, multiple picks.
Something like Sabonis, Carter for Barrett, Poeltl, their 2028 and 2030. FWIW, Barrett was a Perry pick in NYC. Even then, it might not be enough to eat Poeltl’s deal.
Agree on Acuff. His defense is really bad. They had to hide him in college when he was on the floor. When you can’t defend in college, how is it going to go in the pros?
To avoid Acuff, I’d consider trading down if a future year 1st comes with it. No JJ and Giles trade down. But more likely I’d pick Acuff and play him to trade him. If he shines on offense in the NBA, some team
will want him.
Acuff’s defense isn’t bad because he doesn’t have size. It’s bad because of his defensive IQ, which can be taught. Honestly not too worried about that.
just like Trae Young.
watching the playoffs and seeing how teams target the weak defender on the opponent gives me pause on Acuff. The Hawks with Trae never got far but Trae was an obvious target. Acuff reminds me of Trae.
Flemings plays D. Wagler- not sure but better D than Acuff. And Kings may end up with M. Brown.at 8 or 9 Not sure.
The Kings have one player on the roster who is under 30 and likely to be an NBA starter in two years. Just pick the best player available.
I think it’s funny that I can’t even figure out who the one player is.
Keegan.
At least there are no 5th year seniors for Perry to draft that are projected to go in the lottery.
There are 14 years of college experience between Nique, Maxi, and Cardwell. That’s just nuts.
Yaxel is the closest one. I could see them trading down and selecting him, lol.
Ha! You’re right! I actually like Yaxel as well, lol.
If Yaxel were 19 or 20, he’d probably be locked in as Top 5. He’s a baller.
Pick the best player, there is no guarantee that the Clifford Reynaud and Cardwell are not going to top out league average starters or bench quality players
I’m guessing they have started scouting, why they didn’t look at who they wanted then worked out the best way to get to a spot in the draft to pick that player.
I saw someone mention a deal with the Thunder, part of me thinks if you can grab some the many thunder draft picks and roster depth, wouldn’t this help the Kings rebuild. Toss in DDR and they can buy him out and make more cap room
it is very difficult to trade in the upper picks of the NBA draft. This is not like the NFL
That said, Mavs traded #5 for #3 and picked Luka and the Hawks picked Trae Young at 5. The price was a first round pick the next year. 2 spots for a FRP
Last year, Pels traded for #10 last years draft and gave up a FRP this draft to the Hawks.
Totally agree with the point you make, I think the Thunder potentially are a unique situation, there roster is getting expensive, this might be the last chance to get another young talented player on a cheap deal. The Thunder draft well and have lots of draft picks they probably can’t use. The thunder could over pay for a player they really like, say Wilson from North Carolina
If the Kings were smart and that’s saying a lot, they could get players and picks and really help this teams out look
I was thinking on the trade up. It is much easier to trade down or trade out of a pick, like the Kings and OKC for Nique. (traded future SAS FRP)
The OKC 12 is probably available due to them trying to avoid just too many guys but at 12, there is not as much talent and the Kings need a PG- Acuff, Flemings, Wagler (5-7), Brown 8, Burries 9 and Philon 11 or so. This does not look promising to me.
What they should do: Take the best prospect with zero regard to 2026-27 or the current roster.
What they will do: Take the guy that puts the team in the “best” position for a run-it-back reach for the play-in.
Tweaking ever so slightly…
What they will do: Take the guy our illustrious owner has the latest hard on for–run n gun Acuff.
And to tack on a response to Murf above, I think they did scout the prospects to target who they want and that’s why they didn’t worry about tanking too much bc Vivek’s wanted Acuff all along.
Should the Kings jump into the top 3 and still take Acuff, then you could 100% on point.
yes, but Kings not that crafty (like the flipping Jazz) If there are no jumpers from below, or even just one, Jazz have #4 or #5 and I doubt they take Acuff. They have K. George and they like big guards, like Wagler.
My current board:
Dybansta – Just more stable than Peterson
Boozer – First, I fling poo at the notion that an 18 year old lacks upside. Second, year after year we see basketball players passed over in the draft for hops and wingspan. The guy’s a winner and a player with a pedigree.
Peterson – Worth the shot if AJ and Cam are gone.
Next tier –
Wilson – He feels like the most likely to take the next leap among this bunch.
Flemings – I like his baseline to baseline game, nothing ever seems forced, and he has that extra gear that plays well in the NBA
Acuff – I get the D concerns, but to paraphrase Jerry Reynolds, if you can outscore your opponent, you win.
Wagler – He barely makes this tier, but is that type of combo guard that could give your back court a lot of flexibility. Plus, it would be healthy to see the Kings draft a not-quite-a-point-guard and then either play him out of position or watch Doug bury him behind the vets (LaVine and Monk).
Next, tears –
Brown – I liked him a lot at the beginning of the season, was off him by mid-season, and now he has crept back up the list. But I think he is a clear tier below the first seven.
Lendeborg – The Kangziest of picks, as guy that will be 24 before the season begins. That said, he has the tools to help a team. That that said, he has all the makings of the next square peg that the Kings try to hammer into a round hole.
My board is very similar.
I have Wagler above Acuff, and should the Kings fall to 7 and Acuff is still there, then I get it. Pick him.
Two I guys I’d add to the bottom of that list and who I would like to see in for a work out are Steinbach and Burries.
I think Steinbach could be Domas 2.0, especially if the Kings move off of Sabonis. Steinbach has a nose for the ball when it comes to rebounding. He put up some monster numbers on the boards this past season. I think he could also develop an outside shot and maybe is more of a comp to Kevin Love than Sabonis.
Burries is definitely a tweener guard, but he a physical two way game, which I like. I don’t think he’ll be a star, but he’s the kind of glue guy good teams require. Maybe a better version of Nique? I’ve seen comps to Jalen Suggs and Austin Reaves.
I’ll have to give those guys a closer look. Thanks!
If you want to check out a fun one who I think might shock everyone and jump into the top 10, see Allen Graves out of Santa Clara.
I think around 15.
most top flight teams have a good “pure” PG, but some have combo guards- like Orlando with Suggs and Houston and Boston and even the hated LAL.
I, me my ownself, would rather have the pure PG like that Fox guy that we gave away.
close to my thoughts and the difference between Wagler and Acuff hurts and that’s the coin flip
I don’t think they are trading the pick. The best way to rebuild a team is to get a high draft choice and make a good choice. Ranadive is the problem although Perry has not been around long enough to prove that he is good at this job. We all know that winning a couple of games down the stretch was a dumb thing to do, even though I know they were playing has-beens like Killian Hayes. Unless the ping pong balls really go against us, we will have a shot at a player who will make a difference.
Agreed. Here’s the rub:
During the Ranadive error, the team has never traded up in the 1st round, but it has traded down twice and made a trade swap that cost them the difference between the 3rd pick and the 5th pick. They did trade into the 1st round last year (at the expense of a future 1st that is top 16 protected), and they have also sold a 1st round pick.
The Kings will have to change their ways in order to follow your agreed upon best way. Hope for the best, but prepare for the Vivek.
The loss of coin flip was a serious blow-yes, one slot makes a difference.
Kings can get no worse than. Could get lucky and get 1,2,3, or 4
If no luck then pick behind Wiz, Pacers, Nets and Jazz no matter what and anyone else who jumps. The likelihood of 4 teams jumping is slim as is the likelihood of only 1. Most likely 2 jumpers.
Hence, #7.
My order:
AJ- yes no question
Peterson- Anthony Edwards or Brad Beal
Boozer- solid but limited ceiling
Wilson – KD or Gerald Wallace
Flemings- does not score a lot but plays D, so yes
Acuff-classic PG with no D
7.Wagler- size, savvy but a ceiling
Brown- shoots too much and gets hurt but may be the best overall
Baries- inexperienced. Has size and pretty good in all categories
————
Ament-Jalen McDaniel
The order of those above the Kings is important-which of them wants a PG and who wants a classical PG.
Wiz and Pacers have classical PG’s. Nets do as well but they are not that good. Utah does not but they like big guards and Wagler fits that description.
I would not trade down and maybe up. The 4th slot (Utah’s coin) might have resulted in a choice between Acuff and Flemings. That’s a good choice
Utah is in a interesting spot. I feel wherever they land in the lottery is going to set off a chain of events that we aren’t prepared for.
Should they pick between #4-#7 There is a pretty solid chance a PF or PG is going to be the BPA. Utah, however, has s solid young PG in George and are loaded at PF with Lauri and JJJ.
What if the BPA for them is clearly Boozer and they already have Lauri and JJJ? A trade would surely be coming, right? It wouldn’t surprise me if Lauri or JJJ get bounced for another top 8 pick, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s the Kings.
Should Utah pick #4 and land Boozer would Perry flip the #5 and LaVine’s expiring for JJJ and future first? I gotta say, JJJ would be nice between Sabonis and Keegan.
Honestly not too worried this year, unless we drop to 8, maybe 7. Would be happy with any of AJ, Peterson, Boozer, Wilson, Acuff, Flemings…I could sort of talk myself into Mikel Brown as a high upside pick who just started off slow in college and Wagler as an elite 3 point specialist.
I predict we trade DeMar and our pick to ATL for Kuminga and their pick, then select Acuff.
I’ll raise you with:
I predict we trade DeMar and our pick to the Bucks for Kuzma and their pick, then select the falling knife in Acuff Jr. at #10.
Never bring a Kuminga to a Kuzma fight.
Guess we’ll have to trade DeMar and our pick to Dallas for Klay and their pick. K?
Can we get a starting lineup of Knecht, Klay, Keegan, Kuminga and Kuzma?
That was the other one I was going to post!! I chose to go full Kuzma instead, and one should never go full Kuzma.
In all seriousness, there is a non zero chance that one of those 3 trades could happen on draft night. Klay to the Kings in some way is just so on brand for Vivek.
Yeah, I saw when you proposed that a while back. Gave me a sad.
This is a deep draft. I thin AJ is appreciably better than anyone else and would keep the number one in that scenario but 2-11 aren’t that different. I’d be fine trading down a couple of slots (say 2-6 or 5-8) and pick up a late first or young player. I just don’t see much difference in overall value between Flemmings, Acuff, Burries, Wagler, or Brown Jr. You can split hairs and talk about differences between the players but I don’t think one is significantly better than the other. For that matter are Philon who is projected at 11 and Peterson who is projected at 2 or 3 that much different, beyond hype? I’d take Burries and Morez Johnson Jr. over Darryn Peterson.
At this point I just hope that whoever we pick doesn’t turn into some awful combination of Fredette, McLemore and Stauskas.
Robinson, Bagley, Papagiannis…
It’s pretty apparent that Vivek loves shooters, regardless of their other flaws. He wants the next Curry so bad it blinds him. I also get a kick out Vlade’s love of bigs. Of his 7 first round picks 5 were bigs: PapaG, WCS, Skal, Giles, Bagley. Just the wrong people constantly making the worst decisions.
Quincy Douby or Jackson or even poor Harry (I loved Harry)
Kings need a PG, preferably a “pure” PG, not a combo. The best pure ones are Flemings and Acuff.
The Wizards and Pacers do not need a pure PG. I want the two or them to drop to the spots above the Kings, where they may be reluctant to choose the pure PG
This means that Utah and Nets get higher picks than the Pacers and Wiz.
If there are no jumpers then Kings get 5th. One jumper get 6th. But 2 jumpers is 7th and the possible loss of the pure PG. 3 jumpers and its all over. At that point, Acuff, Flemings and Wagler are gone.
Wagler would be ok but the other two are better. I could see Pacers or Wiz taking Wagler over Acuff or Flemings.
Hey Houston, remember when we suggested Monk for Eason? It has come to bite you back in the ass now, with KD injured and you got no shot creator in Game 3. Still, F*** the Fakers.
I consider what we’ve seen from these guys, so far, to be only about 40% of the total evaluation, usually. That said, I like everyone in this draft. Of course I’d love them to get Dybantsa, but I’m not sure Wilson wouldn’t be better. Boozer could be perfect. Wagler scares me. Love Acuff, but I’d likely be as happy with Flemings. MBJ could be the best of the bunch hiding in plain sight. I like Morez Jr better than Yaxel, and Steinbach better than either. For the right deal I might be tempted to trade down for Hannes. I’m also intrigued with Ament. For a team like OKC, he could be a guy to buy low on and wait, as he looks like the classic late-bloomer. This is the first time I can remember scanning mock drafts and seeing exciting names all the way through 60, and there will be a plethora of quality talent that goes undrafted.
good take. Some thought went into this.
PG is such a glaring need and all solid teams (most anyway) have somebody at PG). This is the year for that.
Thanks
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