When putting trades together in the NBA, the norm has been to go after first-round picks. But the depth of talent in the draft is much deeper than it used to be, and second-round picks can be just as valuable. The Sacramento Kings could do well for themselves by stockpiling second-round picks.
Draft day is huge in the NBA, or any major league sport, to be honest. It's the chance to get young, talented players who can reinvigorate a franchise and hopefully develop into superstars. It's the future of the NBA and every single team in the league is being planned out.
It can be a total game-changer, as evidenced by the Mavericks in 2025. As the trade deadline approached, they made the greatest unforced error in the history of sports by trading Luka Doncic away. Then, they made a huge recovery when they drafted Cooper Flagg at number one months later.
Over the last few years, the second round has become as important a talent pool as the first round. A prime example was Nikola Jokic being drafted 41st overall in 2014 during a Taco Bell commercial. Now, he's generally considered to be the greatest active player in the league.
Sacramento needs to be targeting second round draft picks
In 2025, the Kings did well in the second round of the draft. They picked up Maxime Raynaud 42nd, and he has proven to be a huge difference maker for Sacramento. Over the past couple of months, he's become a fixture on the Kia Rookie Ladder and a reliable option.
As the front office plans out trades, both as the deadline approaches and during the offseason, they should not be afraid to work second-round trades into different packages. Taking second-rounders over first-round picks might be what gets some of these big trades done.
If the Kings hold out for first-round picks, potential trade partners might be less willing to talk deals. This is especially true when talking about players with big salaries like Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine. They'll be much easier to move if potential trade partners don't have to give up big picks.
There are a lot of potentially great players coming up in the 2026 NBA Draft, many of whom will go in the second draft round. If the Kings can collect a couple of solid second-round picks for this draft, it could be the jump start to the rebuild process they desperately need.