A Royal Roundup: Mock Draft Edition 2.0

This week’s Royal Round Up: Mock Draft Edition features many of the same names that continue to make a ton of sense for the Sacramento Kings, especially in the range they are expected to pick. Emmanuel Mudiay and Willie Cauley-Stein headline the picks this week. Also this week, we feature two mock drafts courtesy of Sports Illustrated that present a new option for the Kings at 6 and a one where the Kings make a deal to trade back.

For the mock drafts where the Kings take l Mudiay, it is seemingly because he is falling and the Kings being presented with a steal. Many believe talent-wise, he probably should go higher but potential for him to slip due to fit or another player being more interesting is a real possibility.. In the past, players with question marks have fallen to the Kings for one reason or another. Some have worked out great, DeMarcus Cousins and others haven’t, Thomas Robinson. Could Mudiay be the next player to do so?

Willie Cauley-Stein

Height 7’1” Weight: 242

Gary Parrish and Zach Harper – CBS Sports

Parrish and Harper stay with their pick from last week in Willie Cauley-Stein. At 7’1” and 242, he is an athletic big that can produce on the defensive end. He worked out this week with the Sacramento Kings and showed off his skills on the offensive end. Even prompting George Karl to say his offense is, “Much better than I thought.”

Jeff Goodman – ESPN

Jeff Goodman has the Sacramento Kings taking Willie Cauley-Stein with the 6th overall pick. Goodman believes Cauley-Stein “…can change the game on the defensive end much like DeAndre Jordan or Tyson Chandler.” He also believes, “He (Cauley-Stein) and DeMarcus Cousins could mesh well together.”

Emmanuel Mudiay

Height 6’5” Weight: 200

Sam Vecenie – CBS Sports

Sam Vecenie has a shake up for the Sacramento Kings in his latest mock draft. He now has Mudiay falling to the Kings at #6. Vecenie says, “This would be the absolute best-case scenario for the Kings. “ He also thinks, “Mudiay would be an absolutely perfect fit for the George Karl‘s pick-and-roll heavy, uptempo offense.” The Mudiay and Darren Collison duo would be a great pairing. Either could start and the other would help a poor second unit for the Kings.

Jonathan Givony – Draft Express

Jonathan Givony still has the Kings taking Emmanuel Mudiay. He says “The Kings would likely be thrilled to see a talent like Mudiay, considered a top-three pick for most of the season, at this stage in the draft. While Darren Collison has done an admirable job at the point, it’s difficult to see him as a starter on a playoff team in the loaded Western Conference.

Kristaps Porzingis

Height 7’1” Weight: 220

Reid Forgrave – Fox Sports

Kristaps Porzingis is the pick here for Forgrave. For him, Porzingis “Feels like a dream for today’s NBA.” He like many think Porzingis is “ likely to be the first international player drafted.” Porzingis feels like a much better version of the player Chris Mannix has the Kings taking. He has the ability to impact both ends of the floor with his rim protection and outside shooting ability.

Frank Kaminsky

Height 7’1” Weight: 234

Chris Mannix – Sports Illustrated

Apr 6, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Frank Kaminsky (44) drives against Duke Blue Devils center Jahlil Okafor (15) in the second half in the 2015 NCAA Men

Chris Mannix has the Kings taking Frank Kaminsky. Some, including myself think as Mannix points out “Too high for Kaminsky? First you have to identify what his major flaws are. Kaminsky is a smooth shooting big who can score off the dribble and from beyond the three-point line. The Kings have a gaping hole at power forward, and Kaminsky could complement DeMarcus Cousins nicely. There are issues defensively, but few better scoring options for George Karl’s offense.” While in theory it makes sense to add Kaminsky as a stretch four, something Kings fans have coveted for some time, not sure Kaminsky makes sense long term. The defensive end of the floor would be awful with Kaminsky and Gay next to Cousins. If the Kings were to trade back, and took Kaminsky as an offensive weapon for the second unit I wouldn’t hate the selection as much. Id assume the Kings would be acquiring talent as part of the deal.

We Have a Trade!

Chris Johnson and Jeremy Wood – Sports Illustrated

For this mock draft, Johnson and Wood get a little loose and threw in a couple trade scenarios that could make sense. In this mock, the Kings strike a deal with he Boston Celtics, who come up to number 6 and take Willie Cauley-Stein. In return the Kings would get picks 16, 28 and 33. With the 16th pick, the Kings select Tyus Jones, a talented point guard out of Duke. At 28, the Kings take Cliff Alexander. He is a prospect that went to Kansas as a highly touted recruit that was expected to go as an early lottery pick in this draft. However, Alexander missed much of the season due to off the court issues. While I still like the potential for Alexander to figure it out, he needs stability in the organization and locker room if he is going to flourish.