Sacramento reels in the Tar Heels star. But where do the Kings take Wilson?
The Sacramento Kings have fans bracing for the fact they may not land at No. 1 overall in the NBA draft.
But one mock draft has the franchise falling into the top five.
The Utah Jazz own the tiebreaker. But The Ringer mapped out a scenario where the Kings still pick ahead of the franchise.
And with the fourth pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Sacramento picks North Carolina star Caleb Wilson in this scenario.
Here's why J. Kyle Mann of The Ringer calls for the UNC star to head over to Sacramento.
"The Kings are tied in the standings with the Jazz, meaning their ping-pong ball combinations will be subject to a coin flip, but we’ll give the Kings the no. 4 pick for now due to pain and suffering," Mann began. "Would I put it past the RealHooperTM franchise to reach for a potential scoring star like a Darius Acuff Jr. or a Mikel Brown Jr. here? I would not."
Mann also sent this haunting franchise reminder.
"After all, this is the franchise that went out of its way to deprioritize Tyrese Haliburton, trade for DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, and then willfully enter into the Russell Westbrook business," Mann said.
Then he dipped into why the towering and physical star freshman Wilson should be the pick for Sacramento.
"Drafting Wilson would be the adult thing to do. Wilson has finer technical details to iron out in several areas of his game, but he has the opportunity to reach heights (literally and figuratively) on the defensive side of the ball that no one else can," Mann said.
But does Mann also see some flaws out of the 19-year-old star who becomes the final prized recruit of the Hubert Davis era?
"He’s also an oddball, bendy, and big forward on the offensive end with shooting upside (eyes right here -- don’t google the percentages), and he’s a big-time finisher at the rim," Mann said.
Overall, he envisions the Kings generating new buzz with this pick.
"While the Kings’ road toward a reset will undoubtedly be bumpy, Wilson would be something to be excited about," Mann said.
Wilson has been mocked to the Kings before, and even landing before Darryn Peterson of Kansas.
But the Kings will be presented other options regardless of where they land in the first round. Cameron Boozer of Duke could be another option.
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