Imagine a small-market NBA team squandering its most valuable asset—high draft picks—year after year. That’s the Sacramento Kings under Vivek Ranadive’s ownership. But here’s where it gets controversial: could the Kings have avoided becoming a league-wide punchline if they’d simply drafted smarter? Let’s dive into a decade of draft disasters that have left fans wondering what could’ve been.
In the NBA, small-market teams like the Kings must maximize their draft picks, especially lottery selections. Yet, time and again, Sacramento has missed the mark. Take 2013, for instance. With the 7th pick, they chose Ben McLemore, who ranked a dismal 25th in career win shares among his draft class. Meanwhile, they passed on CJ McCollum (picked 10th) and, astonishingly, Giannis Antetokounmpo (picked 15th). And this is the part most people miss: Rudy Gobert, a future Defensive Player of the Year, was available at 27th but overlooked.
The 2014 draft was equally baffling. The Kings selected Nik Stauskas, whose NBA career was shorter than his nickname, ‘Sauce Castillo.’ Zach LaVine, picked 13th, and Nikola Jokic, a two-time MVP drafted 41st, were both on the board. Here’s the kicker: Stauskas’s career WAR (Wins Above Replacement) ranked 28th in his draft class, while Jokic’s is off the charts.
Fast forward to 2016, and the Kings traded the 8th pick for the 13th and 28th picks, drafting Georgios Papagiannis and Malachi Richardson. Bold move? Not really. Domantas Sabonis, a perennial All-Star, was drafted 11th, and Pascal Siakam, another All-Star, went 27th. The Kings’ trio of picks? All out of the league by 2018.
The 2017 draft was a masterclass in mismanagement. Thanks to a disastrous 2015 trade, the Kings swapped their potential #3 pick for the 5th. They could’ve had Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, or Bam Adebayo. Instead, they drafted De’Aaron Fox (solid, but not Tatum) and traded the 10th pick for the 15th and 20th, selecting Justin Jackson and Harry Giles—both underwhelming compared to available talent like John Collins and OG Anunoby.
Now, let’s talk controversy: In 2018, the Kings passed on Luka Doncic, reportedly due to concerns about his fit with Fox. They drafted Marvin Bagley III instead. Doncic is now a superstar, while Bagley ranks 25th in career WS among his draft class. Was this a basketball decision or a front-office blunder?
Even when the Kings hit, like drafting Tyrese Haliburton in 2020, they traded him away. In 2021, they drafted Davion Mitchell, passing on Alperen Sengun, who’s already outperforming Mitchell. Thought-provoking question: How many more chances does this ownership group deserve?
The Kings have had 11 lottery picks under Ranadive, with little to show for it. Fox is gone, Bagley is gone, and the team remains a laughingstock. Here’s the real question: Can the Kings ever change their ways, or is this cycle of mismanagement destined to repeat? Fans deserve better, but until the organization’s leadership changes, don’t expect the draft to be anything but a source of frustration.
