The May 17th NBA Draft Lottery went well for the Sacramento Kings, who moved up from a ‘projected’ 7th spot to the 4th overall selection in the June 23rd NBA Draft.
This is a big ‘win’ for the Sacramento Kings. The 4th overall pick has a ton of trade value or could be used to select a potential franchise-changing player in the draft.
It seems like most ‘experts’ have distinguished three top-tier draft prospects. Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga), Paolo Banchero (Duke), and Jabari Smith Jr. (Auburn). Will a team in the top three pass up one of the ‘top three’ talents, and give the Kings an opportunity to swoop up one of them up at 4th overall?
In This Article
- Breaking down a few players to draft at 4th overall
- Trades!
- The Kings have OPTIONS!
- Best player or best fit?
- What the NATIONAL SPORTS MEDIA EXPERTS think
- My Sacramento Kings draft ‘Big Board’
- Cast YOUR vote on the Kings draft pick
- Questions I have
Possibilities With The 4th Selection
6’4″ guard Jaden Ivey (Purdue) has been listed in many mock drafts as the 4th best player in the draft. Ivey has been touted as an elite athlete with elite-level speed and explosiveness. Some have questioned his defensive effort and buy-in. As a sophomore, Ivey put up averages of 17.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.1 APG, and 35% 3PT. In my opinion, Ivey does not seem to fit the Kings current needs, especially if they like De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell long-term. Though, if the Kings do select Ivey, it would be fun and FAST pairing between him and Fox.
Do the Kings like 6’8″ forward Keegan Murray (Iowa), 6’5″-ish guard Shaedon Sharpe (Kentucky), or maybe even 6’6″ wing Ben Mathurin (Arizona) enough to select them at 4th overall?
- Sharpe is exciting, did not play this last year in college, or ever in college, but has a HIGH ceiling. There have been many videos shared on social media of Sharpe dominating individual workouts and high school/AAU games. I think he may be TOO much of a GAMBLE for the Kings at 4th overall. Though, if the Kings are going to draft for upside instead of immediate fit, I like Sharpe over Ivey … for now!
- Murray, who averaged 23.5 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.7 BPG, 39.8% 3PT, 75% FT as a sophomore at Iowa, seems to be the ‘best immediate fit’ but doesn’t seem to have nearly as high of a ceiling as the other names who may be available at 4th overall. Murray is not exactly a sexy pick, but could play the most immediately impactful role for the Kings in 2022-23, while maturing into an impactful NBA player on a playoff team.
- Mathurin was awarded Pac-12 Player of the Year, and averaged 17.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 37% 3PT as a sophomore at Arizona. He has been touted as a potential ‘3 and D’ player in the NBA. That is while some have ‘experts’ have questioned his defensive effort. Mathurin may be ‘too far out’ of the top 6-ish prospects to justify using the 4th selection on.
*Right Click* … Options
The Kings and general manager Monte McNair have a LOT of options with the 4th selection and the possible trade opportunities that selection brings. There has been a lot of chatter that Richaun Holmes will NOT be on the Kings 2022-23 opening night roster. Harrison Barnes is going into the last year of his current contract. Sacramento most likely wants to re-sign guard Donte DiVincenzo, but there has been chatter that ‘his camp’ has been unhappy with the Kings organization.
Unless Jabari Smith Jr. or Paolo Banchero fall to the 4th selection, I think the Kings should look to trade this pick. The 4th selection could be packaged with other players, in hopes of adding a LEGIT NBA starter. Kings fans often mention trading for Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins, multiple trades featuring the Detroit Pistons and forward Jerami Grant, their 5th overall selection, Saddiq Bey, and even the wild dream that is Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam. My outlandish trade proposition is Chicago Bulls guard/forward Zach LaVine coming to the Kings in some sort of sign and trade. I do not think that will happen. I have zero clue if ANY of these teams have discussed trade possibilities together, or if it is just all internet hopes and dreams.
Shoot for the Stars or Best Fit
I have been digesting a lot of Sacramento Kings draft-related media. Most of that has been the local experts; James Ham, Matt George, D-Lo & KC, Brenden Nunes, Carmichael Dave, and Jason Ross, along with some national media, who are generally not too tuned into what’s going on in SacTown. It seems like the folks who like Jaden Ivey or Shaedon Sharpe often mention that you HAVE to select a future all-star level talent at 4th overall. As opposed to a nice player who fits more of a need, and who probably won’t be an all-star, like Keegan Murray.
I think that it would be fun to see Jaden Ivey or Shaedon Sharpe develop on the Kings. I also think it would be awesome to see a more ‘ready to go’ and ‘better current fit’ in Keegan Murray. The Kings have a ‘great problem’ on their hands with the 4th selection in the draft.
What Do the Experts Say?
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic likes the Kings selecting Jaden Ivey at 4th overall. Vecenie thinks the Kings will choose ‘best available’ player over selecting for best fit,
The Kings have De’Aaron Fox in place already, but they did just fill the big position with Domantas Sabonis at the trade deadline. I would imagine this is purely a best-player-available situation, depending on which of the top four falls.
Sam Vecenie – The Athletic
The Athletic’s Zach Harper also thinks the Kings will select Jaden Ivey 4th overall. He mentioned that Ivey can develop in a ‘lead guard’ for the Kings. That doesn’t make sense to me, if the Kings are ‘bought in’ to De’Aaron Fox. Harper mentioned in his article,
… And if the Kings want to avoid paying that entire contract to De’Aaron Fox, he gives them flexibility there too.
Zach Harper – The Athletic
Gary Parrish of CBS Sports thinks the Kings will select Ivey at 4th overall and that he can indeed fit next to De’Aaron Fox. Parrish wrote,
Ivey is an explosive athlete who plays big and is capable of attacking the rim in a variety of ways. As the Kings continue to build, the Purdue star would be a great option at this point in the draft in part because he could reasonably play beside DeAaron Fox.
Gary Parrish – CBS Sports
Zach Braziller of the New York Post thinks that the Kings will stray away from drafting another point guard in Ivey. The NYP thinks the Kings will select ‘3 and D’ 6’6″ forward Ben Mathurin out of Arizona.
This will be the first big surprise of the draft: the point guard-heavy Kings going with the better fit. Mathurin profiles, at worst, as a 3-and-D prospect, and that might be selling him short. He’s physical, ultra-talented and has improved immensely in the last year.
Zach Braziller – New York Post
My EARLY Sacramento Kings Draft Big Board
- Jabari Smith Jr
- Paolo Banchero
- Chet Holmgren
- Keegan Murray
- Shaedon Sharpe
- Jaden Ivey
- Ben Mathurin
- AJ Griffin
Questions I Have
- Will Sharpe, Ivey, or someone else JUMP into the top 3?
- Will the Kings trade up or down in the first round?
- Will they use the 4th pick?
- Will they package the 4th selection and other players in a trade for a LEGIT NBA starter?
It will be an exciting time in SacTown leading up to the June 23rd NBA Draft!
As always, Go Sacramento Kings!
-Tom Witt
Tom Witt Writes 