When it looked like the night was over for the Sacramento Kings in round one of the 2026 NBA Draft, Scott Perry pulled off a trade that allowed them to pick up Alex Karaban at number 29. It was a surprising move, one that shows exactly how badly they want Karaban on the roster.
Alex Karaban's reaction to being selected in the NBA Draft, captured by Solo Ball 🥲
— Storrs Central (@StorrsCentral) June 24, 2026
(via soloball1/IG) pic.twitter.com/7ggfX2YfFw
Going into the first-round, the Kings only had one pick to work with. That was number seven overall, which Sacramento was widely expected to use on Darius Acuff Jr. and did. He's a solid selection for the Kings as an overall point guard, though his defense is going to need a significant amount of work.
What fans were hoping for was a little bit of the Scott Perry magic. That means pulling off a trade of some kind to get the Kings another first-round pick. In a draft class with this kind of depth, even the 30th pick in the first-round is highly covetted. There's no shortage of talent this year.
That's exactly what Perry did, though he sure left it for the last minute. He traded this's year's 34th pick in the second-round and a future second-round pick for the Cavs' 29th pick in the first-round. This let the Kings secure UConn forward Alex Karaban instead of taking a chance on waiting for him.
This was a smart move for the Kings
Karaban has been connected to Sacramento as a second-round pick in different mock drafts. That has changed over time as the bottom half of the draft tends to vary wildly when running mocks. But Karaban has always made sense to the Kings as he fills a major gap.
UConn’s Alex Karaban from today’s pre-draft workout in Sacramento. pic.twitter.com/koXylZ3dZU
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) May 29, 2026
Specifically, he is a combo small forward and power forward, two positions the Kings need more depth in. Karaban is a dangerous three-point shooter, making him great for spacing. On top of that, he's also a great defender who will help balance out Acuff in this part of the game.
Most importantly, he's a smart player with a high basketball who rarely makes mistakes or commits turnovers. Karaban played four seasons with UConn, winning two national titles along the way. The Kings are getting someone who is ready for the court, and just needs to get up to NBA speed.
Sure, the Kings could have taken their chances on the second-round. But they knew that Karaban was their guy, and made a move to ensure he ended up on their roster. Once he gets in that NBA flow, he'll fit right in with the young guns currently on Sacramento's growing squad.
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