The 2026 NBA Draft is coming up on June 23rd and 24th, and it's going to be a big day for every team in the league. Well, almost every team. The Pacers gambled big and don't have a pick this year. Whoops! On the other hand, the Sacramento Kings are in the mix with a total of three picks.
While there are a lot of options to work with for their two second-round picks, their seventh pick in the first round seems to be more defined. Most mock drafts have them adding a point guard, which is a solid move. It's not the only move, but it makes sense from a rebuild perspective.
What's interesting is how similar the mock drafts actually pan out. Much of the conversation surrounding the Kings has them going with Darius Acuff Jr., yet Kingston Flemings appears as the seventh pick in more mock drafts. It frequently depends if Acuff goes in the top six or not.
How the Kings fare in different mock drafts
As the NBA gets closer to draft day, most major sports coverage outlets start publishing their own mock drafts. That starts well before the lottery, when the projections are also which picks teams end up with. Now that the lottery picks are established, it's more about who gets picked.
This is how the various mock drafts show the first round playing out for the Kings with their seventh pick. Note that CBS has four mock drafts by different contributors listed. One projects Acuff, another has Mikel Brown Jr., and two of them have Kingston Flemings.
The majority of these mock drafts have Acuff going fifth or sixth. Despite online chatter, only two of these nine drafts have Acuff making it to the seventh pick. After that, the most common option for Sacramento is Kingston Flemings and then Brown. Wagler's name is also in the mix.
What this means for the Kings
The common thread is that all nine of these drafts are projecting Sacramento is going to pick a point guard. After that, it's one of the same four names being selected or at least hovering around that seventh pick. That being said, there is a dark horse in the mix that fans need to be aware of.
Most of these drafts have impressive Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg outside of the top ten. And very few commentators have tied him to the Kings, with the Thunder being his projected landing spot at 13. Regardless, it's impossible to deny the potential he has for Sacramento.
If you go by the mock drafts, It looks like the Kings will go with Flemings. If you go by online chatter and thought pieces, Acuff is their guy. It will all depend on how the first six teams draft and if they also see Acuff as a potential top-five player.
Add us as a preferred source on Google