With the Sacramento Kings 2024-25 NBA season now over (courtesy of the Dallas Mavericks), our sights are set on the offseason.
Four big things happen in the offseason: coaching changes, the draft, free agency, and trades. Since the Kings have decided to keep Doug Christie (and fire a good deal of his assistants), that part of the offseason is pretty much past its climax.
So, now the next thing to look forward to is the 2025 NBA Draft and all the events (like the Draft Lottery and Draft Combine) leading up to it. And from this recent tweet, we have a decent idea of where the Kings' heads are at.
The Kings reveal who they will host for pre-draft workouts
On Sunday, the Kings announced who they will be hosting for their pre-draft workouts. Here is what that list looks like:
Sacramento Kings will host pre-draft workouts with the following guys on Monday:
— Kevin John (@heykevinjohn) May 4, 2025
Silas Demary (Georgia) SG, 6’5”, 192
Wooga Poplar (Villanova) SG, 6’5”, 194
Tamar Bates (Missouri) SG, 6’5”, 195
Darrion Williams (Texas Tech) SF, 6’6”, 225
Amari Williams (Kentucky) C, 6’10”, 260…
As you can see from the absence of perceived household names like Cooper Flagg or Ace Bailey, the Kings are more focused on the second round. That is because, barring a minor miracle, the Kings will probably not have a pick in the first round of this draft.
As you'll recall, the Kings traded a first round pick to the Atlanta Hawks in 2022 when they acquired the services of Kevin Huerter. The pick started out as a lottery-protected first in 2024, but since the Kings finished in the top 14, it became a top 12 protected first in 2025.
The Kings finished this season with the 13th-worst record in the NBA. The way the lottery is set up, at their current spot, the Kings can only be the 13th or 14th overall pick, or be a top four pick (there's a 3.8% chance that happens). So, if they don't leapfrog to the top four, the Kings will give their pick to the Hawks.
While they likely be without a first round pick, the Kings will have a draft pick in the middle of the second round (via the Chicago Bulls). The second round isn't typically a factory for high-level NBA players, but over the years, we've seen plenty of high-level players come out of this part of the draft (Toumani Camara is a great example of a recent one).
A cursory glance at this list does cause some confusion, though. New general manager Scott Perry has mentioned the need to add length and ball handling, which usually implies point guards and rangy forwards. But this list is comprised primarily of shooting guards and centers. This seems counterintuitive, but we will have to wait and see what is available when the Kings' go up to bat and what Perry's ultimate plan is.