Instant Grade: Kings Trade for Cavaliers' No. 29 Pick, Draft Alex Karaban

The Sacramento Kings have actually done it. After selecting Darius Acuff Jr. with the seventh overall pick, there was plenty of speculation about the franchise potentially trading back into the first round to select another top rookie. Well, after waiting nearly the entire night, they got their guy.

Per ESPN's Shams Charania, the Kings are trading pick No. 34 and a future second-rounder to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for pick No. 29 to select UConn Huskies forward Alex Karaban.

Sources: Cleveland is trading No. 29 to Sacramento for No. 34 and a future second-rounder. The Kings are interested in UConn's Alex Karaban at 29.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 24, 2026

This is not a shocking selection for the Kings, as Karaban is the exact player general manager Scott Perry was expected to target. While many experts believed that Karaban would be available for the Kings at the 34th pick, the Kings traded up five spots to secure the two-time NCAA champion.

Kings trade for Alex Karaban

Simply put, this is a great move. Karaban is one of the premier three-point shooters in this draft class, and using his 6-foot-7 frame and 6-foot-11 wingspan, he is actually a positive defender as well. While Karaban is not an elite athlete, he is a winning player, a great person, and is more than capable of making an immediate impact at the NBA level.

Through his final three years at UConn, Karaban averaged 13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, while shooting 46.6% from the field, 36.7% from three-point range, and 85.0% from the free-throw line.

Alex Karaban went OFF for a career-high 27 points in UConn's 73-57 win over UCLA.

The Huskies are BACK in the Sweet 16. pic.twitter.com/NnkdDYI8B0
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) March 23, 2026

After getting their star point guard with the seventh pick, it became an immediate necessity to surround him with winning role players, and they did that before the end of the night. Karaban will fit like a glove for the Kings, who need wing depth and improved three-point shooting.

Grade: A+

While it would have been great to see the Kings trade up for Zuby Ejiofor or Joshua Jefferson, it is impossible to be upset about this decision to trade up and grab Karaban.

The Kings now have a solidified young core of Acuff Jr., Karaban, Maxime Raynaud, Dylan Cardwell, Keegan Murray, and Nique Clifford. If they hang onto Domantas Sabonis this offseason, they could be a sneakily impressive team in 2026-27. Of course, they will still need some time to truly turn things around, but the Kings are trending in the right direction under GM Scott Perry.

The Kings will still have the 45th overall pick to use on Wednesday night as well.

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