The 2026 NBA Draft may be over, but that doesn't mean that the hunt for new players is done. Plenty of talented athletes go undrafted each year, a potential development gold mine ready and waiting. You can bet that the Sacramento Kings will be keeping a close eye on those who didn't make the cut.
Not getting drafted is a kick to the ego's crotch. Entire high school and college careers build to moment of hearing your name called and walking up to the stage to shake the commissioner's hand. All the hard work and sacrifice have paid off as once you're a professional basketball player.
Instead, you don't make the cut, something that likely didn't even occur to you. Then, you start wondering about what's next. If you're planning on continuing, you start looking at opportunities in Europe, Australia, China, and beyond. If not, you look at switching careers entirely.
Dylan Cardwell went through that last season. He went undrafted, which tested his dedication and his belief in himself. But the Kings showed up with a two-way contract to develop him in the G League. Then, Sacramento was dominated by injuries and the rest, as they say, is history.
Sacramento will be watching undrafted players carefully
Cardwell isn't the only undrafted player to find success. Jose Alvarado, who went undrafted in 2021, just won an NBA Championship with the New York Knicks. Austin Reaves just got a $185 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, the largest NBA contract ever signed by an undrafted player.
That's why a team like the Kings that is rebuilding on a bit of budget will keep a close eye on undrafted players. They never know when an opportunity to pick up an Alvarado or a Reaves for a low price and develop them in the G League will come along. That's what happened with Cardwell.
He might be a few years behind Alvarado and Reaves, but winning a title or getting his bag isn't out of the question for him. Cardwell's NBA career began by going undrafted. Less than a year later, he had a full contract with an NBA franchise and is an integral part of that team.
There are no guarantees in the NBA Draft, particularly the second-round. With all the pick trades going on, it's impossible to guess who is getting selected by which team when. All that matters is not getting selected isn't the end of the road. The Kings will still be watching for the right fit.
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