10 Sacramento Kings that never played a single minute
By Tyler Watts
7. Bismack Biyombo
The Kings were part of a disastrous three-team draft night trade in 2011 that saw eight players swap places. Sacramento had the seventh overall pick coming in, and Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Kemba Walker, and Nikola Vucevic were all still on the board when it was their turn. Instead, the Kings traded down to ten and took Jimmer Fredette, who played the second-fewest NBA games among the lottery selections.
Biyombo went to Charlotte and has never lived up to the hype of being a top-ten selection. He has been a quality backup center for 12 years. Biyombo blocks shots, rebounds, and finishes at the rim. He is a traditional center, but the 6’8 big man’s lengthy NBA career has Sacramento looking with envy.
Tobias Harris, Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston, and Corey Magette were all part of this three-team deal and none of them went to Sacramento. The Kings walked away with Jimmer Fredette and John Salmons. Both were on the team as role players for two and a half seasons, but Sacramento never won more than 28 games in a year.
The Sacramento Kings have struggled to find talent in the draft and were always trading down to get additional capital. It rarely worked, which extended their playoff drought to one of the longest in North American professional sports history.