With the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery in the books, fans now know that the Sacramento Kings will get the seventh pick in the upcoming draft. While there was hope they would get a better spot, the odds indicated seventh was most likely for them. And it doesn't mean they're not going to get great talent.
Kings' general manager Scott Perry was on hand in Chicago to represent Sacramento at the lottery. He might not have been much of a good charm since so many people were holding out hope that the Kings would buck the odds and end up with a top-four pick. Sadly, that wasn't so.
The descent in the draft lottery began in the last quarter of the season. After the Kings ended their 16-game losing streak, they racked up several unexpected late-season wins. That was great for culture building, but it pushed them down to number five in the draft lottery.
Sacramento still could have ended up in fourth as they had an identical regular-season record with Utah. The "coin flip" went in favor of the Jazz, so it was fifth for the Kings. The lottery odds gave Sacramento the best chance of drawing the seventh pick, and that is exactly what happened.
The Kings are still in a good draft spot
The top four would have been great, but getting seventh isn't bad at all. The last mock draft from FanSided before the lottery had the Kings getting ninth, so this is an improvement. Plus, there's no shortage of incredible players in 2026, with some saying this is the deepest class since 1996.
Who the Kings actually end up picking will obviously be highly dependent on who the eight teams before them draft. Currently, either AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Petersen is expected to go number one. How everything plays out from there will be left up to the drafting teams to decide.
For the Kings, players like Mikel Brown Jr, Nate Ament, and Kingston Flemings are the most likely picks at seven. At the same time, it's also important to remember Sacramento has two second-round picks to work with, as well. There are a lot of talented players deep into that round, too.
In the 2025 NBA Draft, the Kings used their 13th pick to select Nique Clifford and their 42nd pick to add Maxime Raynaud. Both players have worked out incredibly well. It's fun to imagine what Perry could do with a higher first-round pick in 2026, as well as a pair of second-rounders.
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