A Royal Round Up: Sacramento Kings Mock Draft Shake-Up
By Kyle Robert
The Ringer, Sports Illustrated and Sporting News provide a fresh batch of Sacramento Kings Mock Drafts to preview. Is it all De’Aaron Fox again this week?
Another week brings a fresh batch of Sacramento Kings Mock Drafts to recap. While De’Aaron Fox continues to find his name tied to the Kings in many of the mocks, but there are changes this week. One mock has Sacramento avoiding Fox entirely, and another has the Kings making a trade. Sports Illustrated, The Ringers and Sporting News headline this week’s A Royal Round Up.
Andrew Sharp – Sports Illustrated
We have a trade! De’Aaron Fox is gaining traction as a player that will almost assuredly go top five in June’s NBA Draft. Now it seems there is a chance for Fox to go earlier with the Sixers and Suns reportedly interested. The Sacramento Kings could land their guy going from five to three but at what cost?
In this mock, the Kings give up 5/10 to get up to 3. This move would be too aggressive for me, and I love Fox. The Kings really should go for two bites at the apple in this draft unless they can land Markelle Fultz. I don’t hate the idea of Josh Jackson or Jayson Tatum falling to the Kings at five and grabbing Frank Ntilikina or Dennis Smith at ten.
The Sixers trading down is a move that would make a ton of sense. They are in need of a pure shooter and Malik Monk makes the most sense. If Philadelphia can trade down, acquire an asset and still get their guy, they would almost assuredly do so.
If teams get enamored with Fox, the Kings could get jumped by teams like Orlando or Denver looking to move up. It’s a risky proposition to stay at five but one that makes sense in most scenarios.
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Conner like many other NBA Draft analyst has the Kings taking Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox with the fifth overall selection. It is at number ten where O’Connor adds a new name to the list, Frank Ntilikina.
He was a player I liked and fell down a YouTube wormhole thanks in large part to Sactown Royalty’s Bryant West.
At 6’5” Ntilikina has the size and length to excel at the next level. He will take some time to develop, but his ceiling is the roof as a smart man once said. He could share the floor with Fox or Bogdan Bogdanovich in some lineups especially with teams moving towards having multiple ball handlers share the floor.
I mentioned in my last A Royal Roundup that two point guards could make a ton of sense for a team in desperate need for them.
Jonathan Tjarks has the Kings doing some stuff in his mock draft, including coming away from this draft without a point guard. At pick five, the Kings take Josh Jackson who is a legit 6’8” and provides much-needed size at the wing. Jackson flashed in the tournament showing off a variety of skills. Don’t be too quick to write him off because he went to the Kansas.
De’Aaron Fox was on the board when the Kings took Jackson, which may be a head-scratcher to some. I’m not sure it is as crazy as it seems. While Fox and the Kings seem like a great fit, we can’t assume it will be the pick because many mock drafts have it happening.
Coach Dave Joerger mentioned he wants players who can get to the hoop or shoot threes. While Jackson struggles with the later, he can get to the hoop with regularity.
Tjarks checks off the other box for Joerger, making Lauri Markkanen the selection with the 10th overall pick. He provides legit three point shooting from a seven footer. I’m a big fan of Markkanen and think he would pair very well with Willie Cauley-Stein.
While the team doesn’t come away with their point guard of the future, they land a potential star who can drive and three-point shooting, something as I mentioned Joerger wants from this draft.
Sean Deveney of the Sporting News provides some familiarity and something new with his latest mock draft. Like many others, he has the Kings landing De’Aaron Fox with the fifth overall selection. The Fox selection makes a ton of sense and would make me and many Kings’ fans jubilant.
With their second selection, ten overall, Deveney has the Kings taking Jonathan Issac from Florida State University. Despite being almost seven feet tall, Issac is a small forward. He can protect the rim and get to the hoop. Isaac possesses an insane amount of upside. Now whether he reaches that or not is another question entirely.
For more on Issac check out Jonathan Isaac’s prospect profile via Tyler Watts.
Next: Will the Kings Regret Trading DeMarcus Cousins?
A haul of Fox and Issac could set the Kings up for a long, long time. The two players have the ability to become stars in the NBA and could pair well together. Only time will tell if the Kings can land both in Junes draft.