Why NBA Draft Withdrawal Deadline Likely Changed Kings' 2nd-Round Plans

The 2026 NBA draft pool is now set after the withdrawal deadline passed yesterday, and there were some notable exits, including some possible first-rounders. Tyler Tanner, Billy Richmond, Tounde Yessoufou, Andrej Stojakovic, Milan Momcilovic, Amari Allen, Malachi Moreno, and more all decided to return to school for at least one more season.

This is still a great draft class, but it has become significantly thinner since yesterday, and teams will need to adjust their targets. The question is, how will this impact the Sacramento Kings’ board?

Clipped Wings

The biggest callout, to me, is how thin the wing depth is in this draft. With Richmond, Yessoufou, Stojakovic, Allen, and others pulling out, there are not a ton of options for teams looking for wing depth in this draft. The Sacramento Kings are absolutely one of those teams, and Stojakovic, Richmond, and Allen were all names that could have been in play for them.

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While Zuby Ejiofor isn’t exactly a wing and more of a forward/center, he and Alex Karaban, who have already worked out for Sacramento, will both be in higher demand now. Does this mean they won’t fall to 34, where the Kings are picking? Not necessarily, given how second-round promises tend to work. I would imagine they will be getting more interest from teams like the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, and Memphis Grizzlies, who are all picking ahead of Sacramento in the second round, though.

As far as other players that the Kings should look into now that a few big-name wings are off the table, Tyler Nickel, Tyler Bilodeau, and Nick Martinelli all could be solid fits for Sacramento. ESPN has them ranked as the 49th, 53rd, and 54th-best players available as of now, but that will be changing once the list is updated with all the withdrawals. The Kings could use more shooters with size, and all three players shot over 40% from three while measuring in at 6’6” or above barefoot.

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Risky Business

As of now, the Kings have the 34th and the 45th picks in the second round of the draft. While bringing in younger players as depth pieces both makes sense for developmental and financial reasons, would it make sense for Sacramento to look into a trade? Personally, I believe this draft still has plenty of good players that will be available when the Kings pick, but let’s work through some scenarios anyway.

The Kings could try to use one or both of their seconds to get off of some of the veteran contracts that are burning a hole in their wallet, but that comes with risks. Last season, Maxime Raynaud, Sion James, Mohamed Diawara, and others made impacts for their teams after being drafted in the second round, and their salaries come in far lower than those of veterans who may not be providing much more value. A big part of winning on the margins is finding rotation players in the second round, and the Kings have been notorious for bypassing that option.

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The other reason to keep the picks is that Stockton has done a great job of helping develop younger players before they get their chance on the Kings. Two-way players like Keon Ellis, Isaac Jones, Dylan Cardwell, and more have spent time with the Stockton Kings before having their contracts converted to full-time deals, and developing players in those slots has become incredibly important in the apron era.

Even if the Kings don’t have minutes for both their second-round picks this season, they will have a chance to see what they can do in the G League while Sacramento works through its roster issues this season.

Another Dylan Cardwell?

Another major implication of the NIL era and the withdrawals yesterday is that it reduces the pool of undrafted free agents. Last year, the Kings found a gem in Dylan Cardwell as an undrafted free agent, and the chance of finding a player of his caliber this year is much lower.

For productive college players with eligibility left, there is a ton of incentive to return to college if they did not get the feedback they expected for the draft. Players at the end of ESPN’s mock draft, like Ugonna Onyenso, Bruce Thornton, and Kylan Boswell (who also worked out with Sacramento), all feel very likely to be selected now.

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Some interesting players that Jeremy Woo didn’t include in his mock draft, including Quadir Copeland, Dillon Mitchell, and Otega Oweh, are also more likely to receive promises from teams they’re interested in as well.

There will still be some solid players that don’t make it into the top-60, but teams likely won’t be as hesitant to grab older players this year with fewer underclassmen declaring. This is all speculation, and none of us know exactly how the draft will unfold, but I’d argue that it will definitely be harder to find an undrafted gem this year.

Staying The Course

Overall, the dropouts shouldn’t impact Sacramento’s draft strategy too much. Their goal should be bringing in as much talent as possible, and they shouldn’t be incredibly picky about position or age when it comes to the second round. All eyes will be on Sacramento for the 7th pick, but the 34th and 45th picks are going to be very interesting as well.

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