10 Sacramento Kings that never played a single minute
By Tyler Watts
9. Zach Collins
The Kings entered the 2017 NBA Draft with the tenth overall pick and several holes to fill. Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, and Jarrett Allen were all still on the board, but Sacramento passed on the future All-Stars to trade down for picks 15 and 20 from the Portland Trail Blazers.
Portland took Collins, and he wore a Kings’ hat on the stage to shake commissioner Adam Silver’s hand as the deal was not agreed to until after the proceedings had begun on draft night.
The Kings took Justin Jackson and Harry Giles who have combined for 6,720 minutes on the floor in the NBA. For reference, Harrison Barnes has played 7,351 over the last three seasons combined. Jackson and Giles both produced a negative value over replacement player (VORP) for their career and are trying to scratch their way to another NBA opportunity.
Jarrett Allen, OG Anunoby, Kyle Kuzma, Derrick White, and Josh Hart all went in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft after pick 20. It was a massive miss by the Kings.
Zach Collins has struggled with injuries, but showed breakout potential last season in San Antonio. The 25-year-old averaged 11.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 0.8 blocks in 22.9 minutes per game. Can Collins take another step forward sharing the floor with Victor Wembanyama? He is still young with room to grow.