NBA Draft: Should the Sacramento Kings trade up? Trade down? Trade out?

Trade down

Another possibility for the Kings during the 2020 Draft would be to gain extra assets by trading down. While this particular draft class is not the strongest, there could be some non-lottery teams that are looking to move up and add some young talent.

One intriguing team will be the Boston Celtics, who own three first-round picks and tend to make savvy moves regarding the draft. They own the 14th overall pick that belonged to the Grizzlies, the 30th pick that belonged to the Bucks, as well as their own selection at 26. If there is a player that they covet available at number 12, then perhaps Celtics general manager Danny Ainge makes a phone call to the Kings.

Could the Kings get the 14th and 30th pick for the 12th? Or maybe the 14th and 26th for the 12th and 35th? This would peg the Kings down a couple of spots, but it could be worthwhile in order to pick up a late first-rounder.

The Mavericks could be another suitor for a Kings’ trade down. They own the 18th overall pick as well as the first pick of the second round. The last thing the Kings need is another second-rounder, but they could take the 18th and a future asset from Dallas should they come calling.

The Kings traded down just a few years back when they dealt the 10th overall pick (Zach Collins) to the Trail Blazers in exchange for the 15th (Justin Jackson) and 20th (Harry Giles) overall picks. Not only did they trade away the most productive player involved in the deal, but they passed on both Donovan Mitchell and Bam Adebayo in the process. Let’s hope history does not repeat itself should Sacramento choose to go this route.