6 Sacramento Kings Draftees Who Had Better Careers Elsewhere

#2. Gerald Wallace

We had high hopes and a lot of excitement about Gerald Wallace. He was selected by the Kings in the back half of the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft. While he never got anything close to adequate playing time on a team that was stacked and competing for championships, he showed flashes with his athleticism in the rare opportunities that he got.

He placed second to Jason Richardson in the 2002 Slam Dunk Contest.

In what seemed like an afterthought at the time, the Kings made Wallace eligible for the 2004 Expansion Draft. He ended up being the only player that the Bobcats selected who would go on to play in an All-Star game.

He spent 6.5 seasons in Charlotte, and while the team struggled, Wallace made a name for himself. He led the league in steals in 2006 and averaged nearly 20 points in 2007-’08. In 2009-’10, Wallace enjoyed the best season of his career, putting up 18.2 points and 10 rebounds per game. He also made the All-Defensive First Team and made his lone All-Star appearance.

Between 2011 and 2015, Wallace was traded a whopping five times, though he continued to be productive until his final two seasons in Boston.

In obvious hindsight, keeping Wallace around would have been highly beneficial for the Kings, as he could have been the face of the franchise to at least bridge the gap between the Rick Adelman and DeMarcus Cousins eras.

But as good as Wallace was in his later years, he wasn’t near the level of the number one player on our list.