In what was our closest vote yet, decided by just two votes, Franz Wagner got the 8th spot on the Kings Herald Draft Board with 24.5% of the vote. One person did vote for my mother and while she’s a wonderful person who can do anything, I don’t believe she’s eligible for the draft this year. Wagner joins Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga, Scottie Barnes, Jalen Suggs, Jalen Green, Evan Mobley and Cade Cunningham.
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 7 AM tomorrow. The next one will begin on Monday. We will go roughly 20 picks deep.
To me, it’s either Sengun or Jalen Johnson……..
I voted Sengun….but have a little hope in Jalen Johnson’s potential…
I went Sengun today will likely chose Keon after that.
Keon Johnson yesterday, today, tomorrow, and probably the next day.
Well we’re not voting on the weekend, silly.
Come on, Rob! Upgrade your computer and stay up to date with the schedule!
AND 1!!!!
Ziaire.
But also Jalen Johnson is acceptable.
Copy/paste: has anybody been in touch with Rubenho?
I believe he lives in the area in Germany that his been hit hardest by floods. More than hundred people dead.
I hope he is okay.
Bouknight again for me. Sometimes you just need a guy that can get a bucket, or get to the rim and draw a foul. He took 9 uncontested jumpers last season. 9! He was doubled a lot and nobody else to help him out. Give him a couple shooters to outlet to, and he will make defenses pay.
I chose Bouknight for the same reason.
Especially knowing that Hield is discussed in trade rumors, and TD wants 9m/year. And I don’t see Delon Wright being a long term piece. Get me the guy who can cheaply replace the production and has room to grow.
Bouknight is growing on me as well, which leads me to believe he won’t be there at 9. If the W’s don’t trade out of 7, I could see them picking him up.
I like him a lot too. He reminds me of Tyrese and it wouldn’t hurt to have another Haliburton around.
Screw it. Trade for Sexton!
Wow. I guess the Kings don’t need any 22 year old improving stars!
/shrugs
Not for 100+ mill the next 4 years when I wouldn’t trade Fox or Hali straight up for him. So he’s my 3rd guard for that price when he can’t probably play with Fox and Hali?
Why are the Kings giving up assets to be put in that spot?
Casting my fifth consecutive vote for Bouknight and I would do a backflip if he was available by the time we pick
After Brenden’s fantastic piece yesterday, I’m going with Sengun.
I find this amusing since Brenden doesn’t have Sengun anywhere near this high on his big board, but he did properly context his game!
That manipulative son of a…
I’m horrified of the defense! Give me James Bouknight here for the 20ppg scorer upside
It seemed pretty clear to me that Sengun’s defense scared him.
Defense is for nerds
It certainly isn’t for the Kings.
This reminds me of the year I wrote in Bam Adebayo every pick after #9 and was completely ignored. I’m doing the same with Kai Jones this year with every pick after #6.
I am with you on the Kai Jones vote. I think he has exciting potential.
After reading the article about him in the Ringer, I’m feeling the same way.
I’m taking Ziaire Williams here. I’m waffling between him and Jalen Johnson, but of the two, I’m beginning to think Williams is actually a safer pick, and a higher ceiling outcome on offense.
I don’t blame anyone who looks at Williams’ stats and hurls, but he had so much off-the-court context last year that I genuinely think there’s a great chance he’s still a top 6 talent hiding behind a garbage year. On offense, I truly buy his shot, and he has a near-guarenteed go-to offensive talent (his sweet pull-up shot) that at 6’10 and with that quick shot and long arms, he can pretty much get to at any time. And his free throw rate indicated that he really is a good shooter, albeit one who needs to get MUCH stronger to handle defenders who just try to body him off his spots.
He also may have the best shoot/dribble/pass combination ceiling of anyone left on the board (aside from Bouknight, who I have in the same tier here and get as a BPA candidate, but I like Williams’ fit with Fox/Hali better in the long run). And while he’ll get bodied by any opposition that is his size, I was legit impressed with his perimeter defense this year and think he can defend guards pretty quickly.
Finally, he’s just a dude I’d bet on. All his interviews paint him as a very self-aware, smart young man who knows what he needs to work at and improve. Reminds me a lot of Tyrese Haliburton’s approach, and the fact that they were friends is a cherry on top.
If Ziaire hits, he’s a top 5-6 dude in this class. You can certainly say that about a few other guys here – Jalen Johnson could be as well and may be the best FIT in terms of skillset, but I’m increasingly worried about his on-court inconsistencies. Bouknight is a good bet too (although I bet he goes 7), but again, that’s a damn small lineup to move forward with. I’m going Ziaire and I’m all in on the weirdest draft gamble of my armchair scout life.
JAMES BOUKNIGHT.
Jalen Johnson might also be the scariest pick here for me. A close second scariest pick is Kai Jones. Bouknight all the way.
You take Bouknight over Ziaire?
It’s fitting to compare these players. They are both freak athletes, on the skinnier side, who had to deal with injuries. One of them had an impact on the game. The other did not.
The Kings have ad a look at Ziaire¦
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>A league source tells The Sacramento Bee the Kings got a good look at one of the NBA Draft’s biggest mystery prospects during Wednesday’s workout at Golden 1 Center.<a href=”https://t.co/sRH6U8ZQhm”>https://t.co/sRH6U8ZQhm</a></p>— Jason Anderson (@JandersonSacBee) <a href=”https://twitter.com/JandersonSacBee/status/1415845534196064259?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>July 16, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
Let’s try that again:
Totally agree on all this. Jalen Johnson not only is a major risk due to the questions around if he has the discipline and drive to reach his potential, but I also simply don’t think he projects as well to the next level as we’re all assuming. Yes, he’s 6’9″ and can handle the ball and run in transition really well, but he’s not a very good shooter, and his superlative traits for his position – passing and handling – aren’t even really that great. I think he’d be good enough to find the open man while playing in the post, but I don’t see him becoming a Kawhi/Giannis/Bron type point forward. He’s also not laterally quick enough to guard 3s, so you’re going to need to play him in the post, but I also don’t think he’s big enough to be a small-ball 5. Overall, I think Jalen Johnson is probably destined to be a pretty mediocre power forward that can maybe get you a couple nice buckets in the paint or in transition with an occasional nice pass, but not much more. A shorter Harry Giles with more transition ability is really what I’m saying, but with Demarcus mental game.
On the other hand, Ziaire DOES have the makings of a star small forward if he can realize his potential, and all the interviews I’ve seen make me believe he’s the quality character and worker that’s going to strive to make the Kings feel justified in selecting him. I’d call that a far safer pick, no matter what the college numbers say (and if pre-NBA stats determined NBA success than Giannis would be a benchwarmer and Jimmer would be a basketball GOD).
If they get Ziaire in workouts and fall in love with him then he’s my guy. Scoring potential at the 3-4 is a must for this team.
Cooling on Jalen Johnson. Ken Caraway was in Deuce and Mo and explained a text he got from someone he trusts in the NBA and quoted “Jalen Johnson is a guy who gets coaches fired”.
Fire Walton jokes aside, the red flags are way too red.
The Kings have plenty of scoring. They need defense.
Agree 100% that they need defense.
But one rookie isn’t fixing that. I will say that Ziaire has defensive potential as well as the offensive tools, but in general if the Kings do keep this pick, Ziaire has the most potential as a two-way player at this point in the draft with more upside as a one-on-one scorer, something a team can always build with especially with Fox needing another guy.
They need a defensive scheme and coaching more than they need defensive players. One only has to look at the Knicks to see that theory proven.
They need a better defensive scheme & coaching, but drafting a good defender would be helpful.
Well Franz Wagner is one of the better prospects to help at the 3
If anyone deserves a do over of a year, it’s that guy. Missed time to covid, had a death in the family, no time for practices, it was just all bad.
HEY WHO WANTS WAFFLES
Here’s the critical question regarding Ziaire Williams. If your favorite team is playing against him, do you ever fear that he’s going to beat you? There are a lot of freak athletes who do something every game that screams NBA, and you know they’re destined for the nba, but you’re like whatever, that guy is not going to determine the outcome of this game. Jeff Pendergraph is the first guy that comes to mind. There are others.
I mean, since I think he has a skill that could become an elite-level skill, yes I would be very afraid of high-outcome Ziaire Williams pulling up for the game winner and my best defender not being able to do anything about it. No guarantee that he ever develops the strength needed to fully utilize that skill, but it’s the clear avenue to NBA success in my book.
Yeah, that’s what people said about Tim Thomas. Although, Thomas dropped 17 a night with 2.8 stocks.
It’s the NBA draft…besides maybe Cade, no NBA team is going to fear that a rookie is going to beat them next year. To Bryant’s point, it’s whether they may be feared in 2-3 years. Ziaire feels as a good a bet as most in this range for that to be an actual possibility, even if it isn’t the most likely outcome.
I mean in college. If a guy ain’t a threat in college, I’m not pushing all my chips on the table betting that all of the sudden he will against better competition. Think about what opposing coaches might do to try to stop Bouknight, devising strategies for him, calling timeouts, guys are fouling out, the only other guy who has a slight hope of guarding him comes off the bench and can be a hero if he sort of hangs with him 5 minutes, the entire arena looks at Bouknight as if he’s enemy number one and yells their head off every time he touches the ball. That’s a threat. Ziaire on the other hand, it’s like whatever, people are doing ro sham bo deciding who’s gonna guard him because he ain’t gonna beat you.
Ah college. Got ya. Yeah sounds like you value production even as a freshmen ¦ which is totally fair.
Btw I wasn’t being sarcastic in this. Guess it might read that way.
My last post was an exaggeration but yes, I do value production, and if a player struggled his freshman year, I firmly believe he should stay in school another year to show us he can play. Saddiq Bey is a good example of that. Made a huge jump from year one to year two and then entered the draft.
Ro sham bo? LOL, okay I learned a new term, thank you for the edification, but it does not apply. Why would defenders kick each other in the groin to determine who will guard Zaiaire if he is the impotent player you portray him to be. Would not either defender be more than willing to check a guy easy to check and not have to resort to a primitive duel?
Bouknight, the lethal scoring weapon, per your description, would be more likely to compel a family jewel face-off.
Your concerns on Zaiare are legitimate. I share them. I will not detail the extenuating circumstances, again, but he has to answer to them and be impressive enough in private workouts to assauge them. He had this chance last Wednesday, I hear. If all went well, well more than well, if all went fantastically stupendous, I think he is the frontrunner. He fits need and BPA potential more than any candidate, close though Alperen and Jackson may be.
One possible apt comparison, though outlier, is Michael Porter Jr, who was very good in AAU and could not compete in college because of his back injury. And the few games he came back he looked awful. This cost him in the draft, he red-shirted one year with DEN, now he is the better player with the brighter future than Bagley, taken about 12 spots ahead of him.
I am not saying Zaiare will chart the same career arc as MPJ, but Zaiare was a player on NBA excutives radar, including McGeniuses, going back to his days at Sierra Canyon. They knew all about him and his tantalizing skills. His year at Stanford is going to be examined in this context, and all variables considered, #9 may be just around the time he is worthy of selection.
I was exaggerating. Ziaire might be more intriguing later in the draft.
SENGUN
Segun all the way and I actually hope he’s there and they take him with the 9th if they keep it. If he’s not it’s Keon for me. Jalen Johnson just has that vibe to him of getting by on potential only.
I voted ZW, mostly because I chose Sengun yesterday, and if we’re going to roll the big boy dice, I want to keep it fresh.
Even though he doesn’t seem like a great fit, I think Bouknight is clearly the BPA.
Do you guys think there’s any way the Cavs trade the third pick if the kings take love’s dead weight contract?
IMO, the Cavs really don’t need to move Love’s deal. He’s not hindering their cap all that much. They’d be wise to just sit on Love and see if he has any juice left in the tank next season. If Love can return to form they may be able to move him for assets rather than giving them up. Worst case he is a super fat expiring contract the season after next.
That’s certainly the okc model, and it’s worked for them.
Not yet ! Maybe in another season ! I am not certain they will get back to the talent they has in the bubble ! Gilgious-Alexander, Adams, C Paul, Jerami Grant and Gallinari ! Dangerous rebuild even for Presti !
My best guess right now is Cade goes 1 and Green goes 2, leaving Mobley there for the Cavs which I think is who they want to pair with their backcourt, or at least with Garland since Sexton seems to be on the trade block.
Sengun reminds me a lot of Domantas Sabonis. His offensive feel for the game is top notch, and he’s already had experience playing against grown men at a higher level than any NCAA prospect. Kings need a solid big too and at this point I think he’s just the BPA as well.
Speaking of Sabonis, I wonder if either him or Turner are gettable. I’d love either, but especially Sabonis to pair with Fox and Hali. The only asset I could see Indiana interested in would be Barnes and we’d have to throw something else in as well.
I would love to get him if he’s available, but the Pacers hiring Carlisle makes me think they feel like they can win with core they have and some improvements rather than making wholesale changes and blowing it up
Just being healthy and having Carlisle probably puts them in the 4-5 range.
I think even we’d be an 8th seed if we had Carlisle as our coach. Excellent pickup by Indy, especially after the way the Mcmillan situation played out.
I don’t think Sabonis is going anywhere. Super productive 25 year old, on a team friendly, long-term contract…why would they move on from that?
Something between Kanter and Sabonis.
OT.
It may be ironic, but isn’t Barnes precisely what Golden State could use? A versatile wing that can play some 4, spread the floor and enable Draymond to play the 5 in a lineup of death. We know GS is in win now mode.
Curry
Klay
3 and D wing
Barnes
Draymond
It seems like it’d be difficult to make a trade work from a matching contracts standpoint, unless Wiggins is involved. But their two first round picks are attractive.
I’ve had this exact conversation with my father-in-law (a Warriors fan) multiple times. 14 for Barnes would be amazing, but more realistically they’d have to agree, take whoever the Kings would want at 14, and then S&T Oubre or something to make the contracts work.
I wouldn’t mind Oubre coming back on a palatable contract, I know he had an off year, but I think he’s a valuable bench wing.
Oubre and 14 for Barnes would be awesome.
Especially if we trade 9 for a vet, it’d be nice to have at least one top 15 pick. I love the depth of this draft.
Bill Simmons and Russilo posited the Philly trade as something like:
Buddy, #9, Bagley and a future protected first for Simmons. They thought that was fair. I don’t think Philly would bite but I think it’s a fair trade.
If I’m Philly, I’d rather just keep Simmons.
And Oubre would be a nice piece for us too (even if he is a little flawed)
I’m seeing mocks that have Barnes at 5. Teams that were in the running may need to trade up if they want him.
Referring to Harrison Barnes, not Scottie.
Sengun and Mitchell are the two most likely to have meaningful NBA careers. Both are a bit redundant with current roster, but I like both more than Barnes, Moody, or Zaire.
Sengun is not redundant when we don’t have an etched in stone starting PF, Marvin is on his way out, Jones is an unproven backup, and Holmes is an UFA. Metu can be a quality starting PF, but that is also unproven. Even if Holmes is resigned, there is a place for Sengun.
What I am not sure of, is does his profile as a player fit the vision for what McGenius is trying to build? Does he address the team defense with his shot blocking and rebouding in lieu of being able to check on the perimeter? We may get hint soon bc Alperen should come through for a workout in 7-10 days and despite effort to keep these sessions secretive, I think news will leak.
It is possible a player could hold an open workout, Alperen inviting teams to Miami with SAC as attendees. But if the Kings are serious about him, like any player, they would want him in their own facility to put him through their standard round of tests with their specific setup.
You raise some good points. Since I don’t know what the front office was thinking, I was assuming Holmes and Bagley are still on the roster next season. Also, Segun doesn’t address all Kings’ front court needs, but I at least have confidence that his offensive game will translate.
I went Sengun, because I don’t see him as quite as bad defensively as some projections. I’d expect most 18 year old big men to be a little problematic defensively playing in a top professional league.
Sengun, Williams, Bouknight…I wouldn’t be upset with any of them and can see a clear argument for all.
The only one I really want to steer clear from is Jalen Johnson. Just feels stiff, even in running style. No real reason besides that : )
Someone else said this in another thread about Wagner. You can simply force him to go left and take him out of the offense. Reminds me of another player on the Kings, which is not a good thing to be reminded of.
Looks like Moses Moody has worked out for the Kings now as well….

Yes!
I second that yes, would love to come away with Moody.
Excellent!
Scrub alert
I’m picking Kai Jones until he’s off the board. Can we add him to the board?
Stop saying board.
Bored.
I picked sengun. He, in my opinion, is the most low floor high ceiling guy available. I think he ranges anywhere between jokic (a star) and enes kanter (backup big played off the floor in the playoffs). I just think we can’t be afraid of taking a swing for the fences. I don’t want to build to be a 7th or 8th seed; I want this struggle for 15 seasons to be for a chance at a chip. We need more star talent and our best Avenue, outsides possibly Simmons, to acquire is the draft. I think dengue has the highest ceiling and we should not be afraid to take that chance as we just need more star talent. I’m open to being criticized if anybody else thinks it should be. Side note when you are us just get the best guy and figure the rest out later (here’s looking at you vlade bagley>DONCIC divac)
I would love Zaire if he’s available at 9. Even though most mocks have him later, I suspect he’ll be gone.
Went ZW for consecutive days. Don’t want Sengun at all, too slow footed, I think his ceiling is a Kanter type player.
He is pretty heavy footed but I think his ball skills alone give him a far higher ceiling than Kanter ever had. I feel pretty safe in assuming Sengun will be a rotational 5 for 8-12 years.
Bouknight, Sengun and Giddey in that order…nothing but upside!
Voted Sengun. Feels like a high upside players who has skills that have been proven at a high level. I’m no draft expert but he feels very unlikely to be a bust, and as likely as anyone in this range to become a true star.
I’m good with this pick! I have been a fan of his for intangibles, defense, bbiq.
Badge Legend