The results of the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery are finally in and it’s good news for the Sacramento Kings as they hold two top-10 picks in this year’s draft.
At long last, the Sacramento Kings finally know where they stand after the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery and it comes as a pleasant surprise.
Heading into Tuesday night’s lottery, the Kings were one of a few teams that had plenty on the line in regards to their two potential lottery selections, as both picks held their own set of respective conditions.
Due to past trades, the Kings’ own pick was tied to rights held by both the Philadelphia 76ers (pick swap) and the Chicago Bulls (top-10 protected). In addition to their own pick, the Kings held a top-three protected pick, which they received from the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the DeMarcus Cousins trade made earlier this year.
Obviously many scenarios were at play last night for the Kings and although the odds of this happening were quite low, there was a chance for the Kings to come away empty-handed, which would have been an absolute doomsday scenario for the franchise and its tortured fanbase.
As it turned out, the Kings finished the night better than expected, though their past mishaps still managed to haunt them when it was all said and done.
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Starting with the pick they received from the Pelicans, the Kings held an 87 percent chance of staying at 10th overall, which is where the pick ended up in the end.
In regards to their own pick, the Kings held a 72.4 percent chance of coming away with the eighth overall selection after they finished with the eighth-worst record in the league this season at 32-50.
That, however, was where the surprise came for the Kings on the night as they leapfrogged into the top three, which only had a 3.9 percent chance of happening.
They avoided sending their own pick to Chicago by staying in the top 10, but due to the 76ers holding swap rights, the Kings ended up switching spots with the 76ers and came away with the fifth overall selection.
All in all, finishing with both the fifth overall and 10th overall selection is still a fantastic return for the Kings with everything considered. It also stands as the first time the Kings have held two top-10 selections for a draft since moving to Sacramento back in 1985.
After the lottery was completed, Kings general manager Vlade Divac released a statement through the team’s website remarking on the team’s return for the night:
"“We are pleased with the outcome tonight and excited to have secured two top 10 picks in a very strong draft,” said General Manager Vlade Divac. “We’re in a great position to improve our team and we look forward to the draft this summer.”"
It should be noted that the Kings do have a history with picking at the exact spots they hold for this year’s draft.
Related Story: 2017 NBA Draft Lottery results and 1st round order
This will be the third time the Kings will be picking fifth overall in the draft, the first time coming in 2010 with the selection of DeMarcus Cousins and the second coming in 2012 with the selection of Thomas Robinson.
Along with that, this will be the second time the Kings will have the 10th overall pick as they picked Spencer Hawes at that spot back in 2007.
As they have already, the Kings will continue to immerse themselves into all things draft, from working out multiple prospects at a time to meeting with some of the more high-caliber players that could up being available when they’re on the clock come June 22.
Next: Winners and losers of the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery
For the next month-plus, make sure to stay tuned to everything Kings related as we try to sort out the lay of the land for this year’s draft.