2026 NBA Draft Lottery Preview: Sacramento Kings
Nick Agar-Johnson and Tyler Rucker continue the No Ceilings 2026 NBA Draft Lottery Preview series with their breakdown of the potential options for the Sacramento Kings.
Nick: The Sacramento Kings finished a brutal season with one last kick to the teeth, dropping two slots in the lottery from #5 to #7 for the 2026 NBA Draft. Pretty much everything that could go wrong did go wrong, with Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray missing most of the season and the team picking up some meaningless wins down the stretch that took them from the league’s worst record at the All-Star break to a coin flip with the Utah Jazz that the Kings lost for the #4 slot heading into the lottery.
With a grim campaign in the rearview mirror that didn’t have many positives (outside of strong performances from the rookie class of Maxime Raynaud, Nique Clifford, and Dylan Cardwell, including a Second-Team All-Rookie nod for Raynaud), the Kings are once again looking toward the future.
The good news from a Kings fan perspective is that the greatest strength of this draft class matches up with the team’s greatest need: a point guard of the future. Russell Westbrook had a much better campaign than anyone anticipated, given that he didn’t sign with an NBA team until October, but the 37-year-old is not the future of the point guard position for the Kings. However, at least two exceptionally talented point guard prospects will be available for the Kings at #7, assuming the presumptive Top 4 of the draft (AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, and Caleb Wilson) go off the board in some order to kick off the 2026 NBA Draft. That would guarantee that at least two of Darius Acuff Jr., Mikel Brown Jr., Kingston Flemings, Keaton Wagler, and Brayden Burries will be on the board for the Kings to take with that #7 overall pick.
There has been plenty of smoke connecting the Kings to Acuff–especially since Kings lead executive Scott Perry coached Darius Acuff Sr. back in the day. Acuff would certainly provide a much-needed shooting boost to the team that ranked dead last in three-point makes and 29th in three-point percentage last season, but it’s hard to go wrong with the exceptional guard talent at the top of this draft class.
Rucker, what are your thoughts on how the Kings should approach this draft? Who stands out to you as the best potential fits among this point guard class? Would you consider going in a different direction if you were in the draft War Room in Sacramento?
Rucker: Nick, I think you, of all people, know just how important this draft selection is for the Sacramento Kings. While some Kings fans might be a bit down that they didn’t get lucky on the night of the lottery, I think they could be in a perfect position to let the board fall into their lap.
At this point, I think the worst-kept secret of the draft is the fire surrounding the Sacramento Kings and Darius Acuff Jr. I understand why it’s a potential perfect fit from both sides. Acuff would give the Kings and their fans a legit go-to option as a floor general. He’s a bucket-getting machine with an NBA-ready frame and the mentality you want from a potential franchise tone-setting guard. Putting him alongside some of the young pieces they have could pay off in a big way. There are going to be questions about the defense, but I think those will get figured out with time. For a team like the Kings, they need someone with legit highs on one side of the ball that can move the needle for their trajectory, and I think Acuff would do that for sure with his offensive weaponry and intangibles.
But, the question is…has the noise surrounding the Acuff/Kings match gotten too loud too early? Are teams now aware that the Kings might have a clear number one target, so if they want Acuff…they know where they need to get ahead of?
Let’s for fun say that Acuff isn’t the route, or maybe he perhaps is off the board…I still think there are a number of really fun paths for Sacramento to travel down.
Brayden Burries hasn’t been a name that has been discussed much as a potential Kings fit. I think this would be an incredibly smart option as well. Burries would give Sacramento a tough-minded combo guard with positional versatility who would be an extremely valuable piece for this organization. If you’re looking for a two-way guard with upside, I think Burries could provide sensational value down the road. He’s a winning player who is one of the top prospects in this class that you can envision being on the floor in a playoff series.
Another option I think would be fantastic for the Kings? Keaton Wagler. Look, we know the guards who could be in discussion for teams picking from 5-10. What we don’t know is the order. These next two weeks are going to be a madhouse for intel. So for now, I think it’s important for fans to realize that every potential option is on the board.
With Wagler, the Kings would get a plus-sized ball handler with tremendous feel and sensational floor spacing ability. Wagler might not be the greatest athlete, but he makes up for it with feel, pace, poise, and intangibles that are through the roof.
Nick, if Acuff isn’t the route, what option do you think makes the most sense? Do you think any other guards, or other players, could really cement themselves near the top of the list? Does Kingston Flemings start to generate a lot of noise here as well?
Nick: Kingston Flemings is the other name I’ve heard in connection to the Kings, beyond the massive amount of smoke behind the Acuff connection. Flemings would be the guy that I would most want for the Kings here–he’s the best defender of the point guard group at the front of the draft by a pretty decent margin, and I’m less concerned about some of the discussions around his shooting frequency than others. Flemings plays more like a traditional point guard in the sense of “getting his guys involved” and continuing to feed his teammates to try to get them in a rhythm rather than hunting his own shot. Acuff certainly answers more offensive questions for the Kings, given his prolific long-range shooting and the fact that the Kings ranked dead last in three-point attempts and makes last year while also sitting at 29th in three-point percentage. Still, I would slightly favor Flemings for his capabilities on both ends of the floor; that being said, I would be very happy with either one of those guys for the Kings if one or both of them are still on the board.
Wagler and Burries are interesting shouts as well; I think Burries might make more sense for the Kings, given his defensive bona fides over Wagler, but I would still have Flemings and Acuff as the top two guys for the Kings here. Either way, I would hope that the Kings sit and let the board fall to them, rather than trying to trade up. There’s been plenty of smoke around the notion of the Kings trading up two spots to get the Clippers pick at #5, but quite frankly, I can’t see that trade being anything other than a loss for the Kings. There are so many great point guard options in this class, and mortgaging the future to move up two spots to ensure that they “get their guy” would be remarkably short-sighted, in my opinion.
Before we wrap things up, the Kings also have two picks in the second round, at #34 and #45. That pick at #34 stands out to me in particular; with the draft moving to a two-day format, the first few picks of the second round can be immensely valuable for snatching up guys who fall out of the first round (or moving the pick at a premium for teams that are desperate to secure one of those fallers). I’ve been a believer in Alex Karaban for a long time, and it’s hard to imagine a better fit for the Kings at #34; he’s an elite shooter, a proven winner, a great connective passer, and a solid off-ball defender with real size at 6’8”. The Kings have already had Karaban in for a workout, as well as two of my other favorite potential early second round picks: Ryan Conwell and Otega Oweh, who would both provide two-way play and veteran leadership as guys who could work their way into the rotation right away.
Rucker, any thoughts on either #7 or the second round picks for the Kings to close things out here?
Rucker: I’m in a weird position in which I think the Kings really can’t go wrong with one of the names mentioned. The obvious factor in all of this is what they do with the rest of the roster. If Sacramento can add one of these talented guards and accept the fact that they need to hit a bit of a “reboot” to let them get some early run, though, I think that would go a long way.
But as much as Kings fans are going to obsess over their #7 overall selection. I think the two second rounders they have are just as important in this class. We know how it goes in every single NBA Draft. There are always a couple of players who go in the first round that might be a bit earlier than “consensus.” That means that value always finds itself sliding down the board. It just happened to the Kings last year with Maxime Raynaud, and they are in a great spot to take advantage of that again. For the Kings, I think with that 34th overall pick, you might want to look at just simply BPA instead of need. That early 30s pick range can be juicy to get a name that fell a bit, and with this roster, there’s a really good chance to find a nice name on the board. Ryan Conwell is a fantastic shout. I’m a huge Conwell believer, and I think he’s going to be tremendous value in the second round.
We don’t know who could still be on the board. I think if somehow a Joshua Jefferson, Koa Peat, or even Henri Veesaar somehow found their way still on the board, you’d be smart if you were Sacramento to jump on the opportunity. There are always a few players who end up sticking around in the draft longer than expected, and the Kings are in prime position to pick up some important rotation pieces in the second round to complement their franchise point guard of the future.