The NBA Draft presents teams with the opportunity to add young talent for a controlled salary scale. This allows organizations to retool, add depth for cheap, and uncover gems and future franchise cornerstones. Sometimes, though, a team’s draft position won’t line up with their current goals.
For example, despite chasing a playoff mandate this past season, the Sacramento Kings finished with the seventh-worst record in the league and missed out on the playoffs and Play-In Tournament.
The basketball gods, however, decided to reward the Kings for their resilience and foolhardiness, granting them the fourth-overall pick in the draft lottery.
Had the Kings held onto Tyrese Haliburton instead of trading him to the Indiana Pacers in return for Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento could have launched a reset around Haliburton and whichever prospect they acquire with the fourth-overall selection.
LATEST NBA DRAFT NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Ranking 3 Best Options For Sacramento Kings With No. 4 Pick
Now, though, they’re in a perfect position to grab a future All-Star, but their roster and situation are more in need of immediate help than a project.
Let’s look at a potential NBA trade scenario that would send Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors to the Sacramento Kings.