With two draft picks in the top ten in June, the Sacramento Kings are poised to rebuild in a major way. But the ping pong balls could ruin everything.
This article examines the potential ramifications of the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery on May 16 and what effects it could have on the Sacramento Kings. Let us get right into it the scenarios.
Sacramento’s Pick
The Sacramento Kings’ record of 32 wins and 50 losses earned them the eighth most balls for the upcoming draft lottery. With this potential pick, the Kings can grab a point guard for the future. They can draft a highly touted point guard like Dennis Smith 6’3” from North Carolina State. Or the wild promise of 6’5” Frank Ntilikina out of the Euroleague.
But if the ping pong ball moves the Kings up to the No. 1 pick (there’s a 2.8% chance of this), Sacramento’s pick reverts to Philadelphia. This pick swap is a bleeding wound from a July 9, 2015, trade that involved Nik Stauskas for Carl Landry’s and Jason Thompson’s salaries to be dumped. The doomsday scenario is the pick landing in the top 3 and moving to the 76ers spot which would be No. 5. A move up from 8th which is not all that terrible. But it is a painful tease!
There’s an additional woe from that 2015 trade: Sam Hinkle got Sacramento (somehow) to throw in the Kings’ first draft choice in 2019. That’s a lot to pay for the rights to Arturas Gudaitis and Luka Mitrovic. Who?
Pick They Received from New Orleans
With the potential tenth pick, the Kings might be able to draft a power forward like seven footer Lauri Markkanen from Arizona who shot 42% from beyond the arc as a freshman. Cross your fingers that he’s still available. But what if a ping pong ball advances the Kings into the top 3? That pick reverts to the Pelicans. Yes, the Kings got the Pels first round pick in June (along with Buddy Hield, Langston Galloway, and Tyreke Evans) for DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi. But the Pelicans pick is top 3 protected. The Pels get the pick back if a ping pong ball comes up with the Kings name on it. Yikes. (Sacramento will still get a first round pick from New Orleans at some point. Only protected for first overall pick again in 2018.)
Next: The Sacramento Kings Have Gotten Rid Of Their Curse… For Now
Ping Pong balls! Ignore the Kings?
All lottery teams cheer for the ping pong balls to move them up in the draft. The Kings’ No. 8 pick offers a slim hope of moving up. The Kings’ number 10 pick (with only a 0.8% chance of occurring) would leave the Kings with only one lottery pick in 2017 in a very deep draft class.