With the NCAA Men's and Women's Championships awarded, it's time for many of the players to turn their attentions to draft season. The WNBA is up first, with the NBA following in a couple of months. And the Sacramento Kings have the potential to change the game again with UConn's Tarris Reed Jr.
Reed played with Michigan from 2022 to 2024 before entering the transfer portal and moving to UConn. A seven-foot-seven-inch center with a reported seven-foot-four-inch wingspan who had a historic run this season, Reed will likely find an NBA berth in the upcoming draft.
The most recent edition of FanSided's 2026 NBA Mock Draft has the Cavs taking Reed in the first round at number 29. His exceptional March Madness performance bumped him up from the second round. Still, the Kings should take a shot at selecting him if they get the chance.
There's a real opportunity for the Kings with Reed
Right now, the Kings have two great rookie centers in Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell, who have developed quickly. Plus, Sacramento also has Domantas Sabonis lurking around. But if they just leave him on the bench, trade him, or play him to leave, he's a fixable problem.
Adding Reed into the mix with Raynaud and Cardwell creates some incredible opportunities in the front court. There are six different combinations of power forward and center here, some that would work better than others. The double big opportunities on offense and defense are immense.
Even more mind-blowing is the potential of getting all three of these guys together on the court at the same time with guards like Nique Clifford, Daeqwon Plowden, and Devin Carter. The rim protection would be off the charts, as would the work this crew would do in the paint on offense.
Changing the game by going big
The Kings' rebuild process is, in part, about getting younger, faster, and bigger. That has already begun with the addition of Raynaud and Cardwell, as well as Precious Achiuwa. Reed could be a great addition to that movement. Three young bigs who can score and defend would be huge.
Reed is the prototype of the modern big man in today's NBA, yet he also has that old-school toughness, particularly when he's rebounding. The Kings could really put a player like that to work. They would own the glass with the combination of Raynaud, Cardwell, and Reed.
For Sacramento, the goal is to plan for the future, and that means dominant young draft picks. Reed has proven to be that kind of player in the NCAA. Like Raynaud in 2025, Reed has the potential to be a major sleeper pick for the Kings in 2026.