Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
The Kings came to Sacramento 30 years ago for the 1985-86 season and since then, they have drafted 80 players (the number of draft rounds was shortened from 7 to 2 in 1989) that either went on to inspire, flopped like a fish, or fell somewhere in between. Who would make up a list of the top ten picks in Sacramento Kings history?
In ranking this list, I didn’t just want to scratch the surface and rank solely on which draft picks played the best for the Kings, I wanted to consider the team’s success with those players and what the Kings were able to acquire (if applicable) when eventually trading the drafted player; a Six Degrees of Separation version of Sacramento’s top 10 draft picks of all-time, if you will.
The only thing I excluded were What If’s such as what if Gerald Wallace was not lost in the expansion draft or What If Bobby Hurley was never in a car accident or What If Ricky Berry had not tragically taken his life.
Here’s a look at the top 10 draft picks in Sacramento Kings history, starting with some honorable mentions.
Next: Honorable Mention