Kings Magic Number and Draft Lottery Tracker

The Sacramento Kings season is on the eve of its end, as there are just two games left in the disappointing year. But that doesn't mean there isn't still something at stake for Sacramento. While we know they won't own the best draft lottery odds, a sad fact after spending so much of the year at the bottom of the standings, where they end up can still shift around in the final days of the season.

The Kings can officially no longer catch either the Washington Wizards or Indiana Pacers, and they can't jump ahead of either the Memphis Grizzlies or Dallas Mavericks. That leaves the Kings with three possible spots they can end up in the draft lottery, and just two teams left that Sacramento can flip-flop with in the standings. We now know that the Kings will be slotted with either the third, fourth, or fifth-best lottery odds as we wait and see how last week of the year shakes out.

Two Teams Left to Compete With

Mar 29, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) looks to pass the ball against Brooklyn Nets guard/forward Chaney Johnson (31) and guard Nolan Traore (88) during the second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

The Kings comes into the night tied with the Utah Jazz at 21-59, and a half-game 'behind' the Brooklyn Nets, who are 20-59. That makes the Kings' magic number, aka the number of games that the Kings need to lose and the opposing team needs to win as:

Brooklyn Nets: 4

Utah Jazz: 3

Simply put, if the Kings lose both games and the Jazz go 1-1, the Kings would beat them to the bottom of the standings. and have the better odds. For the Nets, the Kings would need some more help, with Brooklyn needing to win two games for the Kings to fall behind them.

That's certainly possible, as the Nets take on the Indiana Pacers tonight in another ultimate tank-battle at the end of the season. So, theoretically, the Kings could start tomorrow tied in a tie for the third-worst record in the league. It's no playoff race, but it's certainly gives fans something to watch for in a lost season.

It's going to be hard for the Kings to do, though. They haven't fully leaned into the tank all season, regardless of the recent investigation around the strange loss to the Golden State Warriors. The Jazz and Nets, on the other hand, seem much more willing to do what it takes to rack up the losses.

The Kings are seemingly continuing to do what they can to win games, and don't expect that to change for the final two games of the season. The Sacramento and Golden State rivalry isn't what it was even just a year ago, but I'm sure the Kings would want to beat their Northern California foes.

The Warriors are already a lock for the tenth spot in the standings, giving them little incentive to win. Conversely, it gives the Warriors a chance to hurt the Kings if they do go out and get the loss. What a strange time the end of the NBA season is.

As a reminder, ties are decided with a random coin flip. This gives the Kings a little more wiggle room down the final stretch of the year.