From Tyrese Haliburton’s breakout to the polarizing trade for Domantas Sabonis, trace the hits and misses of a front office navigating high-stakes gambles and a shifting roster.
The NBA Draft can make a world of difference for any team in the league.
Like many small-market teams, the Sacramento Kings live and die by their draft picks.
The Kings selected guard Tyrese Haliburton with the 12th pick in the 2020 draft out of Iowa State. He made waves immediately with 13 points, 5.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game, not to mention a 40% shooting percentage from the three. After being named to the All-Rookie First Team, it seemed like Sacramento was on the brink of greatness with Haliburton leading the way.
With the ninth pick the following year, Davion Mitchell joined the Kings out of Baylor. As a lockdown defender, he was chosen to complement De’Aaron Fox and Haliburton. In reality, the three-guard rotation was an awkward, overlapping dynamic and resulted in a crowded backcourt.
Their draft selection in 2021 was also surprising, as shooting guard Moses Moody, and center Alperen Şengün were both top options that ended up being passed on. Şengün went on to be drafted by Houston as the 16th pick. He posted career highs in points, rebounds, assists, and steals after just three years and signed a five-year, $185 million extension last year.
In one of the worst returns for a top 10 pick, Mitchell was eventually traded to the Knicks as part of the Cam Reddish deal and for a future second-round pick.
In 2022, the Kings traded Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers for Domantas Sabonis. This decision, while helping them reach the playoffs for the first time in 16 years in 2023, cost them a young franchise face whose success was taken elsewhere. Separately, the Kings acquired Kevin Huerter from Atlanta in exchange for a first-round pick. Two seasons later, he’s not even on the roster. An undeniable positive, Keegan Murray was chosen fourth overall that summer and continues to produce as a starter to this day.
2023 was all about the money as the Kings sent their 24th overall pick and center Richaun Holmes to the Dallas Mavericks in return for cash considerations. No player coming back, just cash. Taking Devin Carter in 2024 as 13th overall, his averages of 3.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in 11 minutes per game after missing the first half of the season to shoulder surgery just didn’t cut it. Between two draft classes, Sacramento had barely anything to show for it.
The Huerter debt was finally settled in 2025 and the Kings were able to trade into the first round for Colorado State guard Nique Clifford at 24th as well as Stanford center Maxime Raynaud at 42nd. Clifford proved his spot with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists in the last game of his rookie season. Overshadowing this performance is the fact that a lottery pick paid for Clifford and a player who wore the uniform for two seasons never became what Sacramento needed.
Of all the Kings lottery picks across these 6 years, two players remain on the roster: Keegan Murray and Devin Carter. GM Scott Perry and coach Doug Christie have a year under their belts and their No. 7 pick in the upcoming draft will determine if the roster can finally find a consistent identity.
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