We really don't need another kid. Highly risky. Kid fails, its another losing season. At the end of which convincing Gay or any other respectable free agent to stay becomes dicey. After which convinving DeMarcus he wants to stay becomes dicey. Kid works out its all grand. But it would be kind to call that a 50/50 shot, while established players are known entities. We are asset poor. That #8 is our best asset. It has to bear serious fruit if a 28 win team is going to become a 40+win team in the West. As we speak West teams all over are once again loading up. Dallas got Chandler back, the Nuggets Afflalo for free, New Orleans freed Asik. These are all teams we have to leap, and they are trying to get better with targeted vet acquisitions.
the nba draft can be an addictive substance in its possibilities, especially with a draft class as deep as this one appears to be. picking in the lottery, even at the 8th spot, allows front office's to dream up all kinds of "what if" scenarios.
what if joel embiid falls to us and becomes the next olajuwan?
what if marcus smart or julius randle eventually become all-stars?
what if elfrid payton is the second coming of gary payton?
when those kinds of hopes-and-dreams swirl about as the draft approaches, i think it gets easier for GM's to talk themselves out of trading their lotto picks. "potential" is an intoxicating notion. on the other hand, an established veteran is a known quantity. the league knows exactly who aaron afflalo is; he's a very sturdy roleplayer and a worthy component to a team in need of his particular skill set. but there's no upside to be had, whereas the league doesn't know who marcus smart or elfrid payton are going to be just yet. perhaps they will be more than just sturdy roleplayers...
that said, i happen to agree with you. i've been on the "trade the pick" bandwagon since it became clear that ben mclemore was at least a couple of years away from being the kind of consistent "3 and D" roleplayer that the kings need at the SG position. i tend to believe that "upside" is an overrated notion. there's something to be said for knowing what you have; there's something to be said for reliability. personally, i want guys who i know can contribute. i want to see the kings climb up the standings, and it's harder to do that with young players who don't belong to the "sure thing" category like lebron james and kevin durant...