Here’s who Sacramento Kings will send to represent them at NBA draft lottery in Chicago
The Kings made a bold move to change the franchise’s fortunes when they made a blockbuster trade to acquire Domantas Sabonis at the February trade deadline. Now, they’re hoping Sabonis can bring them a little lottery luck.
The Kings announced Thursday they will send Sabonis to Chicago to represent them in Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery. In previous years, the Kings have been represented by the likes of Anjali Ranadive, Vlade Divac, Willie Cauley-Stein, Dave Joerger, De’Aaron Fox and Monte McNair.
The Kings, who went 30-52 to finish with the seventh-worst record in the NBA this season, will have a 7.5% chance of being awarded the No. 1 pick and a 32% chance of landing in the top four. They cannot receive the No. 5 or No. 6 picks under the current lottery format. They have a 19.7% chance of holding at No. 7, a 34.1% chance of falling to No. 8, a 12.9% chance of dropping to No. 9 and a 1.3% chance of dropping to No. 10.
The NBA draft will be held June 23 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The Kings selected Davion Mitchell with the No. 9 pick in the 2021 draft and Tyrese Haliburton with the No. 12 pick in 2020. They chose Marvin Bagley III with the No. 2 pick in 2018, the only time they’ve had a top-four pick since taking Tyreke Evans at No. 4 in 2009.
Gonzaga center Chet Holmgren, Auburn power forward Jabari Smith and Duke power forward Paolo Banchero are projected as the top three picks in this year’s draft. Other top prospects include Purdue shooting guard Jaden Ivey, Kentucky shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe, Iowa power forward Keegan Murray and Duke small forward AJ Griffin.
