The Sacramento Kings Made A Historic Mistake
The Sacramento Kings are coming off an impressive season where they were the third seed in the Western Conference with a 48-34 record.
While they lost to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the NBA playoffs (in seven games), the year was still a significant success because the franchise made the postseason for the first time since 2006.
Going into 2023-24, the Kings will have high expectations, and they are seen as one of the best young teams in the league.
However, the franchise made one of the biggest mistakes in NBA history in 2018.
What was the mistake?
The Kings had the second pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, and they selected Marvin Bagley III, who was coming off a sensational season with Duke.
During his rookie season, Bagley III averaged a very productive 14.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 blocks per contest while shooting 50.4% from the field.
However (following his rookie season), he would only play in 86 more games for the Kings before being traded to the Detroit Pistons in 2021-22.
While Bagley was solid, he only played three and a half seasons for the Kings (and they never made the NBA playoffs).
Since the Kings had the second pick, they could have instead drafted Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks), Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks) or Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies).
Young has started in the All-Star Game two times in his first five seasons and led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021.
This past year, he averaged a sensational 26.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 10.2 assists and 1.1 steals per contest.
Doncic has been an All-Star in four out of his first five seasons and took the Mavs to the Western Conference Finals in 2022.
This past year, he averaged 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.4 steals per contest.
Lastly, Jackson Jr. is coming off a season where he made his first All-Star Game and was the 2023 Defensive Player of The Year.
The former Michigan State star averaged 18.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 3.0 blocks per contest.
Considering the Kings could have added one of those players to their current core, it's safe to say the franchise made a historic draft-night mistake.
