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 Kings Select Maxime Raynaud with 42nd Pick in 2025 NBA Draft
Mar 13, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) after a dunk against the Louisville Cardinals during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

After making a trade to get back into the first-round of the draft last night, the Sacramento Kings kept things simpler on night two of the draft, or at least so far in the night, selecting Maxime Raynaud, the French prospect out of Stanford.

Raynaud fell on the second night of the draft, and fills another huge area of need to provide length in the frontcourt. The 22-year-old is 7-foot-1 with a 7-foot-5 wingspan. He averaged 20.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.4 blocks on 46.7% from the field and 34.7% from three.

His length, wingspan, and ability to step out and hit the three is what had him as a late first-round prospect for many, giving the Kings a second draft pick in two night that was mocked higher in the draft.

Other than Trey Lyles, the Kings haven't had another big who can step out and hit the three on high-volume. With 5.5 three-point attempts per game last season at Stanford Raynaud should slide right into that role that the Kings have been lacking outside of Lyles (who is a free agent this offseason).

Much like Clifford last night, who played five years in college, Raynaud is an older prospect who played four seasons at Stanford. But that should only help him contribute for the Kings sooner, especially since bigs generally take longer to develop than guards.

It's another strong pick for Perry that almost fell in the Kings lap, and he didn't overthink it. Raynaud was clearly the best player available with the 42nd pick, and Perry kept it simple by taking him, instead of getting fancy with trades on a night where second picks are flying around.


This article first appeared on Sacramento Kings on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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