Why the Kings Lottery Fall Won't Hurt as Much as it Looks

It's never great to fall in the NBA Draft Lottery, but of all the years for the Sacramento Kings to fall, this is the year for bad luck to strike. Having a top-four pick would have been great for Scott Perry and the Kings to jumpstart their rebuild, but they'll still have a chance to grab a star with the seventh pick, which can't be said about every draft.

It's been a week since the lottery results came in, and now that we've all had time to digest the fall, emotions are leveling out, and excitement is already building around the choices that the Kings will have.

Luckily for the Kings, they'll have a pick of guards that can slot in as the point guard of the future, filling one of, if not the biggest, needs on the roster. Getting a top-four pick and a chance to draft Cameron Boozer or Caleb Wilson would have been great, but in terms of pure roster construction, the Kings are going to be able to shore up their biggest weakness first thing in the offseason with the draft.

And from a sheer talent perspective, in any other draft, the players that Perry will have to choose from at that seventh slot would likely go in the top five in other years. There have already been questions on why Mikel Brown Jr., who's currently slotted anywhere in the six through eight range on various mock drafts, isn't going higher.

Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. is the best advantage creator in the 2026 NBA Draft class. Here's why... pic.twitter.com/adF03K7bD8
— Vince Wolfram (@vincewolfram15) May 15, 2026

Brown Jr. had an extremely impressive performance at the NBA Draft Combine and is turning heads on social media leading up to the draft. He's got great size, a polished offensive game, and is one of the best playmakers on the board with his ability to both score and facilitate for others. And he's not the only one standing out and stealing headlines.

"One of the most explosive players you'll see."

Darius Acuff Jr. at the 2026 AWS NBA Draft Combine 🏀 pic.twitter.com/2lEuBzJyPY
— NBA Draft (@NBADraft) May 12, 2026

Darius Acuff Jr. has been repeatedly linked to the Kings, and the fact that they have a chance to grab a 19-year-old guard who averaged 23.5 points and 6.4 assists last season at Arkansas with the seventh pick is a true rarity. There's a chance that he climbs up the board and is gone by the time the Kings get on the clock, but if that is the case, Sacramento will consequently have a chance to grab someone who falls.

High Trade Value

Dec 5, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) drives to the basket as Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) defends during the first quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

With all that said, if Perry and the front office want to explore trade options for their pick, the value is higher than most number seven picks in the past. It seems unlikely that Perry would sway from selecting his first major cornerstone, but it's something to at least consider as he retools the roster.

Could another rebuilding team value the chance to start fresh with a pick and move off of a young star with potential? Or the Kings could go all in and try to accelerate their window one more time around Domantas Sabonis? Again, neither option seems likely or one that many would recommend, but it's good to at least have the option there.

We can all still be frustrated that the Kings didn't lean into the tank a little bit more and get just one more loss, but at least they are still in a strong position to land someone who can be a franchise player. Now, all Perry has to do is nail the pick.

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