The Sacramento Kings have the lowest odds of landing the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft with just a 0.8 percent chance, but perhaps no fan base deserves it more. They haven’t won a title since 1951, when they played as the Rochester Royals, and haven’t had a superstar since before the Vietnam War ended.
Cooper Flagg has been touted as a possible franchise savior and is the consensus top pick, rivaling Anthony Davis, Victor Wembanyama, and Zion Williamson as the best prospect since LeBron James.
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For a team not used to winning, the NBA Draft Lottery on Monday could fix decades of disappointment.
Duke Blue Devils center Khaman Maluach (9) and Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2).Zachary Taft-Imagn Images
This offseason, the Kings have been encouraged to rebuild as much as possible, with center Domantas Sabonis being the only piece worth keeping.
The Kings already got rid of De’Aaron Fox, and Flagg could be the player the Kings have been searching for since Oscar Robertson was traded away in 1970.
“With the Kings looking to pivot out of the De’Aaron Fox era, there would be no better way to do so than to hit the jackpot and get Flagg,” wrote The Athletic’s Sam Vencenie. “There should be real roster reconstruction anyway this summer, given the recent hiring of new general manager Scott Perry and the fact that it’s relatively depressing that the Kings essentially recreated ‘Play-In Chicago Bulls West’ with the pairing of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. But there are some pieces here, including All-Star center Domantas Sabonis.”
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A frontcourt of Sabonis and Flagg would be a good start, although the team would need a few more pieces to compete, although, finally, they would have a real building block.
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