{"id":767467,"date":"2026-06-22T08:59:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T08:59:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/767467\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T08:59:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T08:59:15","slug":"sacramento-kings-2026-nba-draft-preview-the-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/767467\/","title":{"rendered":"Sacramento Kings 2026 NBA Draft Preview \u2013 The Lead"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Sacramento Kings had a low bar going into the 2026 season. Oddsmakers projected<\/a> them to win 35 games, but they could not even live up to that, winning only 22.<\/p>\n

The Kings dug themselves into a hole by making regrettable moves, including trading Tyrese Haliburton<\/a> and De\u2019Aaron Fox and parting ways with Mike Brown<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Their current best players, like Zach LaVine<\/a>, DeMar DeRozan<\/a>, and Domantas Sabonis<\/a>, are on the other side of 30, which means it\u2019s clear that Doug Christie<\/a> and this team need to start building for the future.<\/p>\n

Their only rookie, Maxime Raynaud<\/a>, put up quality numbers for a second-round pick, averaging a total<\/a> of 12.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.<\/p>\n

However, if the Kings want to see any improvement, they need to nail their three picks in the 2026 NBA Draft.<\/p>\n

Kings Draft Picks:<\/p>\n

Round 1 \u2014 No. 7
\nRound 2 \u2014 No. 34
\nRound 2 \u2014 No. 45<\/p>\n

Kings Draft Needs:<\/p>\n

The Kings\u2019 clear number one need is a high-level point guard to serve as both a floor general and an offensive engine when needed.<\/p>\n

As of now, Killian Hayes<\/a> and Devin Carter<\/a> are the only true point guards on the team, meaning the Kings need to add a starting-caliber guard immediately.<\/p>\n

Outside of that, a versatile wing forward or another big man who can help out or take over for Sabonis wouldn\u2019t hurt the Kings later on in the second round.<\/p>\n

Kings Draft Targets:
\nDarius Acuff Jr \u2013 PG \u2013 Arkansas<\/p>\n

If the Kings want their high-level point guard, Acuff Jr. can definitely be that guy at the No. 7 pick.<\/p>\n

At 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, Acuff Jr. plays bigger than his height suggests. He\u2019s a quick, efficient, and concise guard who is strong for his position, and still shoots 44 percent<\/a> from three-point range.<\/p>\n

His high-volume shooting and accuracy from distance could instantly help the Kings, who finished the 2025-26 season dead last in total threes made<\/a> (843), total three-point attempts<\/a> (2,476), and three-point percentage<\/a> (34 percent).<\/p>\n

The Kings have been in a point-guard panic since trading Fox, and Acuff Jr. finally could fill that void that Sacramento is looking for.<\/p>\n

Acuff Jr. isn\u2019t expected to make it out of the top ten,<\/a> so Sacramento must take advantage if he\u2019s still there at No. 7.<\/p>\n

Kingston Flemings \u2013 PG \u2013 Houston<\/p>\n

High-level two-way guards don\u2019t come around often, but the Kings could find one if they draft Kingston Flemings.<\/p>\n

Flemings is a 6-foot-4 guard who was Houston\u2019s primary option and leader despite joining a team that had just reached the national title game.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Defense is his clear strength, backed by his size, length, and physical attributes, all of which are music to head coach Doug Christie\u2019s ears.<\/p>\n

Funny enough, his NBA pro comp<\/a> is De\u2019Aaron Fox<\/a>; perhaps that could be symbolic for the Kings.<\/p>\n

Along with Acuff, Flemings is not expected to go outside of the top ten,<\/a> so if Acuff is not there at No. 7, Flemings may be the next best option.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Tarris Reed Jr. \u2013 C \u2013 UCONN<\/p>\n

After the Kings presumably pick up a guard with the No.7 pick, their next best move may be a big man, and Tarris Reed Jr. fits the bill.<\/p>\n

Reed led the well-rounded UCONN team to the National Championship in 2026, leading the team<\/a> in total points (14.7), rebounds (9.0), and blocks (2.0). He was named<\/a> Most Outstanding Player on the East\u2019s All-Region Team in the NCAA tourney, standing at 6-foot-11 and weighing in at 265 pounds, while having all four years of experience in college.<\/p>\n

Reed is a strong, mobile big man who excels in the low post, dominate rebounding, and an emerging mid-range jumper which every team could use, but for the Kings it is more of a need.<\/p>\n

He is expected to be one of the first five picks<\/a> in the second round. If Reed is there for the Kings, they need to capitalize.<\/p>\n

Richie Saunders \u2013 SG \u2013 BYU<\/p>\n

Richie Saunders saw a steady rise through a four-year career at BYU, especially in 2026, being one of the big three players that led BYU to play in March Madness, until an ACL injury<\/a> cut his final year short on Valentine\u2019s Day this season.<\/p>\n

Standing at 6-foot-5, weighing around 200 pounds, Saunders averaged a total<\/a> of 18 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, all while shooting 48.9%.<\/p>\n

Saunders is likely to get second-round looks anywhere between the 40th and 45th pick, largely due to his elite off-ball scoring, shooting versatility, and connective skillset.<\/p>\n

The Kings tend to love those Kevin Huerter<\/a> and Duncan Robinson<\/a> types of players, and Saunders can be exactly that with even more upside.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Sacramento Kings had a low bar going into the 2026 season. Oddsmakers projected them to win 35…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":767468,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3792],"tags":[25086,7,41665,4056,6,986,477,4055],"class_list":["post-767467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento-kings","tag-2026-nba-draft","tag-basketball","tag-darius-acuff-jr","tag-kings","tag-nba","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-kings","tag-sacramentokings"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116792941835130377","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/767467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=767467"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/767467\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/767468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=767467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=767467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=767467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}