The Sacramento Kings hold the 10th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft after acquiring it via the DeMarcus Cousins trade. The question now is what direction will they go in?
Having a top-five pick in this year’s draft came as a big surprise for the Sacramento Kings. Having that, along with the 10th overall pick, has come as a luxury for a team finally taking the long view in building their roster.
For as rash and hastily put together as the DeMarcus Cousins trade looked and felt in the moment it occurred, hindsight has given us the benefit of seeing why the Kings were better off with parting ways with the three-time All-Star.
Of course, a lot of that has centered on the return they received from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Cousins and so far, the second half production of sharpshooter Buddy Hield has painted the trade in a different light on the Kings’ side of things.
But in receiving the Pelicans’ first round pick of this year’s draft, the Kings get another bite at the apple to add another young, promising talent to their growing foundation. With that being said, it wasn’t guaranteed the pick would automatically convey to the Kings since the Pelicans placed a top-3 protection on the pick.
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With an 87 percent chance of it landing 10th overall, the pick wound up going chalk on the night of the lottery, easing the Kings and their fans alike. Obviously the question for the Kings now is what type of player will they target in the second of their lottery selections?
Going best player available is the most desirable option considering the Kings are in need of adding as much high-caliber talent as they can through the draft, but with clear needs within their roster and possible surprises in store, there are certainly plenty of directions they can go in when they’re officially on the clock.
Having two lottery picks may influence their thinking in potentially playing it safe with one selection, while going for a swing-for-the-fences type selection that they can afford to take at this point in their rebuild.
So with no time like the present, here are five options the Kings could consider with the 10th overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft.