Are the Sacramento Kings toast after losing the tiebreaker to the Utah Jazz? Time to dive into what it all means.
The Sacramento Kings won the March 15 contest against the Utah Jazz, but couldn't claim the latest head-to-head Monday.
This one involving the NBA Draft.
The draft placement ahead of the June event is becoming more crystallized. Sacramento appeared to have a chance to land at No. 1 overall with its 22-60 record.
But that's not the case after losing the tiebreaker to the Jazz. Time to dive into what it all means.
Are Kings Out of Top 5?
Sacramento, again, was in the mix to complete one of the four worst records in the league. But won three of its last 10 games, while the Jazz took nine defeats during that span.
A loss to the Golden State Warriors in the final home game would've sealed a chance at landing the No. 4 slot outright. But Sacramento won that game.
Now onto the burning question: Are the Kings out of the top five?
This team could land as low as No. 9 in this scenario. Although Sacramento has a 0.6% chance of picking No. 9 and an 8.5% chance of picking No. 8.
But that's not ruling Sacramento out of the top five just yet.
Current odd have both the Kings and Jazz having a 45.2% chance of landing inside the top four and an 11.5% chance of being the No. 1 overall pick.
How Sacramento Stays in Running for Top Pick
The Dallas Mavericks took the 11th spot originally thanks to owning the tiebreaker over the Chicago Bulls.
Yet the Mavs landed at No. 1 overall and along came Cooper Flagg.
Sacramento has higher odds at claiming the top compared to the other spots.
The Kings were handed am 11.4% chance to claim No. 2, then 11.3% at landing the third overall pick. They hold an 11% chance of falling to fourth overall.
The odds get lower at No. 5 (2% chance of landing that pick). But their sixth pick chances jump to 18.2%.
It grows higher from there...with Sacramento earning a 25.5% probability of claiming the No. 7 selection.
Can Kings Still Land High-Profile Pick?
Kings Roundtable won't rule out AJ Dybantsa to Sacramento just yet.
However, there's a reason names like Keaton Wagler of Illinois, Kingston Flemings of Houston, Darius Acuff of Arkansas and Darryn Peterson of Kansas were all mentioned: In the event Sacramento doesn't earn the top pick.
The aforementioned names help fill the top 10 selections. But now it comes down to where Sacramento lands.
It already looks like the Jazz's top pick chances just boosted thanks to winning Monday's tiebreaker.
Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!