When it comes to the 2024 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings kind of dropped the ball. Not in the players they picked as much as how they utilized them. Or, to be more precise, didn't utilize them. There are probably a lot decisions the Kings would like back from that era.
Going into the 2024 Draft, the Kings had two picks to work with. In the first round, they were choosing 13th overall, which isn't a terrible place to be. It's not top five, but it's also not number 30. Then in the second round, the had the 45th pick. It was typical place for a team like the Kings to end up.
That first round pick was used on Devin Carter, then a point guard coming out of Providence. He's actually rated the sixth best NBA/ABA player to get drafted out of that school. In round two, the Kings smartly chose Jamal Shead. What happened next wasn't as smart on the part of Sacramento.
More unforced errors by Sacramento
Both Carter and Shead were solid choices. Unfortunately, the Kings immediately traded Shead to the Raptors as part of a larger package. He is turning into a core player for a young Toronto roster. The only upside to the trade was the Kings turned the second round pick they got into Maxime Raynaud.
Carter is a completely different problem. For most of his two seasons in the NBA, the Kings have completely botched his development. That only started to change towards the end of the 2025-2026 season when Sacramento was so savaged by injuries they had to play him.
Fans have seen what Shead could have been for Sacramento as well as finally getting a real sense of what Carter is capable of. Still, turfing Shead and sleeping on Carter casts the whole 2024 NBA Draft in a different light. It's enough to make fans wonder what the team would be like with different picks.
Revisiting the 2024 Draft for the Kings
When the Kings chose Carter, there were several other great players on the board. That includes Bub Carrington, Kel'el Ware, and Jared McCain. Knowing what fans know now, passing on McCain seems crazy, particularly since Sacramento has been largely disinterested in Carter until recently.
Again, the Shead trade obviously worked out in the long run since it directly led to the Kings drafting Raynaud. But the Kings went with Shead because he was the best player on the board at that point. They took a real risk trading him since they had no clue what 2025 would look like.
Raynaud is an incredibly talented rookie and Carter is starting to find his groove. The Kings' odd moves in the 2024 NBA Draft are working out now, but that was a huge risk at the time. Thankfully, Scott Perry seems to have a better idea of what he's doing going into the 2026 NBA Draft.
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