The Sacramento Kings are perhaps the worst-run NBA franchise for quite some time now. Failing to make it to the playoffs for 16 seasons in a row now, the Kings have the longest playoff drought in the league.
While the Kings have had some decent talents come through their ranks, they have somehow failed to land a superstar talent. The biggest catalyst for this has been their cursed luck in the drafts. Despite having a plethora of lottery picks over the years, the Kings' scouting team has missed the mark every time.
Their lottery picks in some cases have been decent, but none of them have been the standout star of their draft class. What makes this more tragic for the Kings' fans is how often the Kings could have landed their franchise cornerstone.
In a recent post, a fan revealed the notable lottery picks the Kings could have drafted in the last 11 years. The three names mentioned in the post were Luka Doncic, Damian Lillard, and recently crowned champion Klay Thompson.
It is absolutely crazy to imagine what the future of the Sacramento Kings would have been if they would have picked even a single player of the three. While Klay has become one of the best two-way guards with probably the best jumper in the game, Damian Lillard has become a talismanic guard in Portland often competing for the scoring title.
Luka Doncic meanwhile has taken a Mavericks franchise all the way to the Western Conference Finals in the 2021-22 season and looks primed to win multiple MVPs in his career. It is also curious to note that none of the picks that Kings drafted made a significant impact on the franchise.
While Marvin Bagley III initially showed some potential, he fizzled out afterwards and eventually forced his way out of the team. The other two players meanwhile only played a combined 2 and a half seasons with the team and failed to impress. But it seems like the Kings haven't learned from their mistakes.
Despite drafting a great all-around guard in Tyrese Haliburton, Sacramento let go of him at the trade deadline last season despite him being arguably the best player on the team.
With a core of De'Aaron Fox and former All-Star Domantas Sabonis, the Kings might challenge for play-in spots, but a playoff push is pretty far-fetched right now. Fans only hope that the Kings finally get rid of their never-ending playoff drought.
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