The Sacramento Kings entered the 2019 NBA Draft with zero picks in the first round and three in the second round.
The 2019 NBA Draft has been called “shallow” and “weak”, but this isn’t true. Zion Williamson was the consensus first overall pick and, while the talent dropped off after him, there were numerous serviceable prospects sprinkled throughout the entire draft. Unfortunately, the Sacramento Kings were not as involved until the second round.
There were many players selected on Thursday night that have the potential to be difference-makers in the NBA. Cam Reddish, a member of the feared Big-3 at Duke this past season, fell to the Atlanta Hawks with the 10th pick.
Sekou Doumbouya, a raw, athletic prospect with high defensive potential, fell to the Detroit Pistons at No. 15. Players with All-Star potential like Nassir Little and Kevin Porter Jr. also fell to the Trail Blazers at No. 25 and the Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 30, respectively. Even green room invitees, Nicolas Claxton and Bol Bol weren’t drafted until the second round.
There were other teams that made decisions that they might regret for years to come. Namely, the Phoenix Suns traded down to the 11th pick in order to draft Cameron Johnson, a 23-year old swingman who was expected to be available in the mid-to-late 20s.
The Orlando Magic also made a draft-night-blunder, when they drafted Chuma Okeke 16th overall. Okeke was predicted to be a lottery selection before tearing his ACL in the NCAA Tournament. Not only did Orlando draft Okeke earlier than he was projected, it also selected another power forward despite their two best young talents, Jonathan Isaac and Aaron Gordon, being of the same position.
Had the Kings not traded either of their picks, they would’ve been selecting 14th and 42nd. They have traded both of those picks at some point in the past few seasons, but still acquired three other second round picks. How did they do with their selections, and what did the picks they traded away become? Here are the Sacramento Kings’ 2019 NBA Draft grades.