Welcome to the 2021 Kings Herald Community Draft Board, an annual tradition. Last year the Kings took Tyrese Haliburton all the way at #12, and he was 5th on the community draft board.
This is the readership’s opportunity to create a democratic draft board which represents the order in which we as a collective would like the Kings’ draft board to look like. It does not represent the desires of individual writers or fans, but some semblance of the community’s collective thinking.
When a choice comes up, pick who you’d want the Kings to pick given all the players remaining. Note: THIS IS NOT A MOCK DRAFT. This is a draft board, a ranked list of prospects you’d like to see the Kings pick. In other words, if we were the Kings front office, when our pick came up, we’d take the top name left on our board. So pick your choice, not who you think Monte McNair or anyone else would choose in a slot.
Explain your choice in the comments, and lobby for who should be added to the next pick’s choices.
This poll ends at 5 AM tomorrow. The next one will begin shortly thereafter. We will go roughly 20 picks deep.
We should’ve faded for Cade(d) :-/
I’ve seen Zero of Cade in the tournament, guess looking at the best of highlights might work.
I took Mobley, mainly because with his size and skill level, he provides the current roster with more of what it needs.
But if the Kings took Cunningham, I would in no way be salty about it. I think both of them are likely to have very nice careers.
There can be only one. Next add Scottie Barnes, sadly
With the 1st pick of the 2021 NBA draft, the Sacramento Kings will not be drafting Cade Cunningham, Wing, Oklahoma State.
Obvious Choice…………
Marcus Bagley, right?
You got it right !!!
Ayton no longer on the broadCunningham!
Would’ve enjoyed the memes if we had lucked out and could select at #1.
Cade Cunningham seems to be the collective, #1 most obvious choice and I have yet to see anything that points to that being a mistake.
The question is, how do we get one…?
Fox and 9. Maybe ?
That’s an interesting thought.
If Det wants to expedite the rebuild and build around Grant, Fox would be a nice partner.
If Cade is viewed as a future superstar, you make the move.
#TradeforCade
Of course, if Cade is viewed as a future superstar, Detroit doesn’t make that trade.
The Kings may view him as a future super star whilst the Pistons may not or vice versa. Obviously each team has different evals on prospects.
IMO we don’t have a franchise player on the roster, until you do, you do whatever it takes to get one. Monte may view Fox as a franchise player, who knows. At the end of the day we haven’t won with Fox.
I heard that the Pistons are really high on Jalen Green. If they are indeed not that high on Cunningham (highly doubt it), I think they’ll try and do what Ainge did in 2017 and try to trade down a spot or 2. I don’t think they’ll entertain the idea of having Fox + 9 for the #1. If they trade down, it will be with Houston or Cleveland with Houston as the likely partner.
Did someone say “High?”
I agree completely. I’m well on record for chastising the Kings for filling their cap space with above market deals for fringe starters and role players before finding their tent poles.
Fairly stated.
Pretty big stretch. If you’re talking about the #1 pick, your throwing in at least one more first. The NFL is different, but look at what the 49ers gave up to move to #3.
*you’re* throwing in at least one more first. Groundskeeper spelling.
I’d welcome nfl style draft trades to the nba draft.
If you think Cade is a future super star, give up multiple firsts and players for him.
Can you imagine the kings with that ability though?
Five future first round pick, unprotected. Must move up spot to take Bagley. Super team just young. (Do in vlades voice).
Dude dumped the future at the time to sign belinelli and rondo.
The inability to do nfl style trades of picks I do believe was to help protect the kangz against themselves.
My draft board criteria (plus psuedo rant at no extra charge): This continues to be a roster that should not be drafted around, especially out of the 9 hole. Now, as “luck” would have it, there really aren’t a lot of options at 9 that would be with redundant with Fox and Haliburton, and anyone else on the roster is not the level of talent/upside to merit consideration on draft night. So in that regard, I would have no reservations drafting a Giddey or Nix or Mitchell or Butler if they were clearly the best player on the board at 9. If Bouknight is head and shoulders above the rest at 9, the presence of Hield does not matter at all. And so on.
Hali’s performance last year skews our perspective a bit when it comes to what a player normally contributes out of the 9 hole or later. To wit, the 9 picks from the past decade:
2020 Deni Advija
2019 Rui Hachimura
2018 Kevin Knox
2017 Dennis Smith Jr.
2016 Jakob Poeltl
2015 Frank Kaminsky
2014 Noah Vonleh
2013 Trey Burke
2012 Andre Drummond
2011 Kemba Walker
2010 Gordon Hayward
Last decade began with a bang, but tailed off quite a bit after that. If you said the jury was still out on Advija and Hachimura, the median in this group would be Trey Burke.
So for me, positional need will have little impact on my board. When Suggs is the best player on my list (I have him at four), I select him, because I like him more than (say) Kuminga or Barnes.
The unfortunate part of this exercise is that the Kings seemed to have shoved all-in with Walton, and I will be (pleasantly) shocked if they deconstruct the roster this summer. I just have the feeling that the Kings are more likely to trade the 9 pick for immediate help than they are to draft a prospect that would have to buck the odds to get big core rotation minutes under Walton.
Well put. We should still be in bpa mode considering the lack of top end talent on the roster.
But like you said, we’ll likely trade the pick or draft based on need. Drafting based on need for a roster that has sucked for so long is absurd. That’s how you end up passing on Luka and Trae.
It has been said before but I think BPA at the #9 in this draft will likely be a whole tier of players. Obviously if Suggs slides, you take him despite fit. But apart from a huge slide, BPA might not be very obvious – therefore taking for fit makes sense imo.
Of course, even fit can be debated because there is a possibility that 3 or more players that would fit well make it to 9 (Moody, Wagner, Jalen Johnson, Ziaire, etc.)
If Suggs slid to 9, I would frickin go nuts!
After Hali, you never know. I mean, I don’t expect Suggs to slide like that, but I don’t think it would be COMPLETELY out of the realm of possibility for someone like Barnes or Kuminga to slide.
I’d also go frickin nuts if Barnes slid.
I’ve seen some speculation that Kuminga could slide a little, but it sounds like he’s not likely to slide lower than #7.
Can we add Marcus Bagley to the board? Asking for a friend.
#GetMarcusToSacramento
Did you say “De”marcus??
For comedic Kangz purposes I’d be all for it. Keep Marvin as well.
BabyG’s anti-Bagley supported by advanced stats tweet storms are hilarious and damning.
Brutal.
Off topic
Random trade suggestion from random B-R writer:
And… well… I’m not mad at it. I like Delon a lot and wouldn’t love losing him, but the return as a good mix of need (Nurkic), upside (Simons and the pick), and future cap flexibility, while adding some serious athleticism to the wings.
I’d do it, if for the only reason were to add to the asset cupboard. Those 3 players, the pick, and other Kings assets could be part of a bigger package for the Kings to land a star.
Yep, this trade and getting an asset(s) for MBIII, and build assets for the future. Unfortunately, the FO expects to compete this season, which is a major problem and miscalculation.
This team always expects to compete and is always a miscalculation.
The fucking buzz saw that awaits this team in any form next year is withering to think about.
Warriors are gonna trade for a star. Clippers are gonna pull some moves. Suns are gonna remain strong. Blazers still have Lillard. Jazz are sticking strong. Mavs still have Luka. Spurs are still the Spurs. Wolves are gonna make a move and by default going to gel more this year. Nuggets have an MVP and a great coach. Pelicans have this generational guy who’s already antsy so they are gonna make a move.
So yeah we will be competing with Houston and OKC for the bottom. Here is the best part though. Both of them will be TRYING to lose.
The buzzsaw may the best thing that could happen to this team. The FO was so incorrectly optimistic about last year’s team, so we kept Buddy and Barnes and retained Luke. Staying around the 9-11 seed is the worst thing that could happen.
Yeah I’d probably do that. I think that it would be more painful losing Delon than Barnes in that trade because he is a very quality backup guard. But with a young athletic wing, starting C, young guard and a first? Yeah, you’ve got to take that.
I’d do that in a heartbeat. Getting Nurkic (possible Holmes replacement) and a 2023 FRP isn’t too bad.
Yeah I’m all in on that trade if it were on the table
I truly have no idea who will go first – wonder who it will be!
Cade in my opinion is the hands down BPA and if we have learned anything since 2018 is that fit and kangz should never be uttered in the same sentence. Cade BPA get it done monte.
Take Luka Garza (best scoring Center- Wooden Award, then play at the 4, draft in 2nd round) , or Davion Mitchell (Best Defender in College) for the Kings at 9. Picking before 9 is not the Kings lot in life. Go with that and call it a win & bring on Summer League!
Hello everyone, is everyone not seeing any comments in an article unless they login first? Or is it just me?
I have the same issues at times.
Badge Legend