No, the Kings haven’t figured out the secret to time travel.
Of all the things that could transform the Sacramento Kings, who’d have guessed it’d be a 1990s mid-major basketball program?
No, the Kings haven’t figured out the secret to time travel. Too bad, especially considering some of their draft decisions.
As it turns out, Kings general manager Scott Perry wasn’t always an executive. In fact, he spent several years as an assistant at Michigan in the 1990s before taking the Eastern Kentucky job in 1997.
Calling the 1998-99 EKU Colonels a bad team is being quite generous. EKU went 3-23 in Perry’s second season, a drastic regression from the previous year’s 10-17 finish.
Freshman guard Darius Acuff was among the lone bright spots, averaging 12.3 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.7 rebounds.
Fast forward to 2026, and Acuff’s son, Darius Jr., is a standout point guard and the reigning SEC Player of the Year. He helped Arkansas reach its sixth straight Sweet 16, though the Razorbacks fell to Arizona in the West Region semifinals.
Not only is Darius Jr. a projected top-10 pick, but it’s entirely possible that he lands in Sacramento; the Kings own the No. 7 pick and desperately need an immediate playmaker at point guard.
In a mock draft published Tuesday, CBS Sports’ Cameron Salerno suggested the Kings will take Acuff Jr. and cited Perry’s pre-existing relationship with the Acuff family.
“Acuff is one of the most polished offensive guard prospects of the 2020s,” Salerno wrote. “The Kings need talent. Acuff will be the pick if he’s available at 7.”
Acuff averaged 22.2 points and 6.4 assists on 49.3% shooting for the Razorbacks. He added 3.1 rebounds and made 43.7% of his threes.
The question, though, is whether Acuff Jr. will even be available at No. 7. ESPN mocked Acuff to the Brooklyn Nets at No. 6 earlier this week, and some have even suggested he could be in play for the Los Angeles Clippers at No. 5.
If Sacramento lands Acuff, he likely won’t need long to crack the Kings’ starting lineup. Russell Westbrook almost certainly isn’t returning for a second season, and the injury-prone Zach LaVine is a full-time shooting guard at this stage of his career.
Either way, the Kings need as much help as they can get after a disastrous 22-60 season. This year marked only the second time in team history that the Kings lost at least 60 games.
The 2008-09 Kings squad still holds the franchise record for futility, having finished 17-65.
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