Welcome to A Royal Round UP: Mock Draft Edition. There are many mock drafts floating around the interwebs for the 2015 NBA Draft. The goal is to gather them all here to get a better grasp on where the Kings could go in June’s draft. Willie Cauley-Stein and Emmanuel Mudiay headline this weeks most popular picks. Kristaps Porzingis and Justise Winslow are two other names that could be in play for the Kings at #6. A trade is always in the cards as well, especially if the top 5 picks don’t go as the Sacramento front office hopes.
Emmanuel Mudiay
Height 6’5” Weight: 200
Bleacher Report – Jonathan Wasserman
Emmanuel Mudiay is the pick for the Kings at 6 for Jonathan Wasserman. If Mudiay were to fall this far, the Kings would have to looks seriously at it. As Wasserman says, “Alarms should sound in Sacramento’s draft room if the New York Knicks pass on Emmanuel Mudiay. The Magic aren’t likely to take him, given the promise Elfrid Payton flashed last year.” Most think Mudiay won’t fall past four, but the Kings have landed guys in the past that should have been gone before they picked.
Draft Express – Jonathan Givony
Emmanuel Mudiay is the pick for Givony of Draft Express. Givony is one of, if not my favorite NBA Draft follows. He has a wealth of knowledge and has a great grasp on the NBA. Mudiay falling would be a surprise at this point, but it’s still very early in the pre-draft process.
Emmanuel Mudiay with a crazy off-the-backboard dunk pic.twitter.com/xviPJLY3Dp
— NBA Big Board (@chadfordinsider) June 5, 2015
Mar 28, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Willie Cauley-Stein (15) dunks against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the finals of the midwest regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Willie Cauley-Stein
Height: 7’ 0 Weight: 242
Zach Harper, Sam Vecenie and Gary Parrish – CBS Sports
Zach Harper, Sam Vecenie and Gary Parrish of CBS Sports all have the Kings taking Willie Cauley-Stein. This pick makes a ton of sense. The Kings are in a win now mentality and adding a rim protector is something many feel they need to do. If Cauley-Stein becomes the next Tyson Chandler, which I feel is his upside, then it will be a great pick. However I worry that he doesn’t reach that pinnacle and becomes another rotation big who is fine but not a game changer on either end of the floor, Kings fans may be disappointed in the pick.
Chad Ford – ESPN
Chad Ford also has the Kings taking Willie Cauley-Stein in his latest Mock Draft. He also said something that I also believe, “After the first five picks are off the board, things will start to get interesting. Five of the next six teams in the draft — the Kings, Pistons, Hornets, Heat and Pacers — all have playoff aspirations next season and if the right offer comes along, these picks can definitely be had.” He went on to say, “Should the Kings keep this pick, their choices will likely be between Cauley-Stein, Winslow, Hezonja and, if he somehow slides, Mudiay.”
With it being so early in the pre-draft process and teams will still need to meet with many of the prospects. Try and avoid getting locked into any one scenario, as a lot will change between now and June 25th, when the NBA Draft is set to begin. The free agent market could play a role in the way the Kings go in the draft. While free agents can’t sign until after the draft takes place, often promises are made that a player will sign as soon as he is allowed to do so.