Kings picking 13th overall (formerly the draft lotto thread)
- Thread starter Tetsujin
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Keegan was a 4th pick and even with that he started Okpala at first, lol. Keegan also had size and shooting at a position the Kings needed. As is, the Kings top 9-10 spots are pretty full. Look at Ellis. Even with his play it was an uphill battle that saw Davion take the minutes over when he was back at one point.
We're not going to have a pick as high as #13 again for quite awhile. Bad draft or no, there's still talent available in the late lottery and locking up a rotation piece for 4 years + Restricted Free Agency is better than trading the pick for an overpaid veteran in my opinion. The only guy I'm interested in trading the pick for is Okongwu from Atlanta (if they draft Sarr and no longer see him as a starter).
Briefly, the guys I like in the draft so far are:
Alex Sarr, Rob Dillingham, Ron Holland -- None of these guys will be there at #13 but I have them rated the highest.
Isaiah Collier, Devin Carter, Stephon Castle, Matas Buzelis -- One or more of these guys might end up in our range. There's risk here but high upside.
DaRon Holmes, Yves Missi, Ryan Dunn, Reed Sheppard, Jaylon Tyson, Ulrich Chomche -- You're probably getting a rotation guy rather than a star but these guys all look like NBA talents to me.
Briefly, the guys I like in the draft so far are:
Alex Sarr, Rob Dillingham, Ron Holland -- None of these guys will be there at #13 but I have them rated the highest.
Isaiah Collier, Devin Carter, Stephon Castle, Matas Buzelis -- One or more of these guys might end up in our range. There's risk here but high upside.
DaRon Holmes, Yves Missi, Ryan Dunn, Reed Sheppard, Jaylon Tyson, Ulrich Chomche -- You're probably getting a rotation guy rather than a star but these guys all look like NBA talents to me.
Yes we do have to get longer, I agree. We also have to not whiff on a lottery pick because we're only looking at wings, forwards, and centers this year.
I like both Collier and Carter more than Castle and Buzelis anyway, but I have them ranked in the same tier. The guys I listed are my top 13 players as of today. Collier was listed as 6'5" all year but I'm guessing he measured out shorter? I'm a little unconventional with my draft evaluations in that I don't care about the combine testing results. I especially don't care how tall a player is, how long their arms are, and how big their hands are. I used to care about all of that but at this point I think all the combine testing does is distract people from what actually matters which is how a player looks in a 5-in-5 competitive basketball game. If a player has noteworthy physical limitations or gifts it will show up in the tape.
I like both Collier and Carter more than Castle and Buzelis anyway, but I have them ranked in the same tier. The guys I listed are my top 13 players as of today. Collier was listed as 6'5" all year but I'm guessing he measured out shorter? I'm a little unconventional with my draft evaluations in that I don't care about the combine testing results. I especially don't care how tall a player is, how long their arms are, and how big their hands are. I used to care about all of that but at this point I think all the combine testing does is distract people from what actually matters which is how a player looks in a 5-in-5 competitive basketball game. If a player has noteworthy physical limitations or gifts it will show up in the tape.
Given that (a) small market teams like the Kings really need to build through the draft and (b) it's often a good idea to zig when others zag, this might be a chance to nab an extra pick or two to swing on guys. This is definitely a weak draft, especially up top, but it may be reaching the point where picks are actually being undervalued.
Nassir plus #22 overall for Davion "MAYBE" is fair value? If we were able to take a homerun swing at one of the late bigs and either pick 13 for a player that can at least expect to be in the 2nd unit, or trade 13 for a bigger piece that is certainly interesting, and if the Suns writer thinks that is a reach for the Suns then maybe they can throw in a 2nd to sweeten the deal.
I wonder what some of our guys might command on the trade market. I just saw a Portland tweeter post something about the Blazers thinking Brogdon is going to be super valuable because the draft isn't a goldmine. Still wonder how some of our fairly-priced players might shake out in the trade market with teams looking to get under one of the tax aprons. Or if the MLE market will be different once the teams with space shoot their shot.
I wonder what some of our guys might command on the trade market. I just saw a Portland tweeter post something about the Blazers thinking Brogdon is going to be super valuable because the draft isn't a goldmine. Still wonder how some of our fairly-priced players might shake out in the trade market with teams looking to get under one of the tax aprons. Or if the MLE market will be different once the teams with space shoot their shot.
I'd do it. Davion is a double edged sword, if he plays well teams will poach him, if he doesn't even a first round pick is pushing it. We just saw it last season in it's bag of chips or keep him extremes and odds are it's going to happen again next season. There's almost no win. If these other teams in the West land big in moving their picks, I do think it might be better for Monte to look at a partial reset in 2026 but if he can dump Barnes and Huerter even if there is no value coming back then 2025. Hopefully 2025 would be the year because in 2026 Fox has to be re-signed and that will eat up some major flexibility.
it's not a mystery to us or the front office that there will be teams that didn't make the postseason this year that will make the West even more difficult to compete with when inserting the Grizz and Rockets to the mix, even the Warriors, Steph is still Steph and they had a strong finish to the season
I can't endorse the Knecht pick. He looks like a defensive liability to me -- in game lateral quickness is a problem even at the college level. He really only has value as a scorer and even then I have to wonder how much his success this season should be handicapped to account for the fact that he's a 23 year old super senior playing against teenagers. Isn't his upside basically just Kevin Huerter? We already have one of those and he's probably the current Sacramento King that fans most want to see traded.
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