Jan 5, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis (11) high fives forward/guard DeMar DeRozan (10) after scoring a basket against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

How the Sacramento Kings Can Get the No. 1 Pick in the 2025 NBA Draft

Originally posted on Sacramento Kings on SI
By Logan Struck | Last updated Apr 22, 2025 6:10 PM ET

The 2024-25 NBA regular season has officially wrapped up, and 14 of the league's 30 teams are now fully focused on the offseason.

The Sacramento Kings ended their campaign with a 40-42 record, finishing in ninth place in the Western Conference, and have secured their spot in the 2025 draft lottery. The problem? The Kings do not own their 2025 first-round draft pick.

Sacramento's first-round pick in this year's draft is top-12 protected, meaning they have to land a top-12 pick to keep their selection. Unfortunately for the Kings, they ended the season with the 13th-worst record in the league.

On Monday, the NBA announced any tie-breakers for the lottery, and since the Kings were tied with the Atlanta Hawks at 40-42, they had to decide the 13th and 14th spots with a coin flip. The Kings "got lucky" and won the coin flip, and officially have the 13th spot in the draft lottery.

Ties have been broken by the league. Official pre-Lottery two round order is updated: https://t.co/FXkXbE02qc https://t.co/BNBDMWJuBN pic.twitter.com/D8Ids0uEZY
— Tankathon.com (@tankathon) April 22, 2025

The most likely scenario is for the Kings to stay in the 13th spot and give their pick to the Hawks, but there is a chance that they keep their selection, and even a possibility to get the first-overall pick.

The only scenario where the Kings keep their first-round pick is if it jumps into the top four in the lottery, which is very unlikely. The Kings' pick has a 92.9% chance to stay at 13, but what about the other 7.1%?

The Kings have a 0.8% chance to jump up to number one, 0.9% to get to two, 1.0% for three, and 1.1% to get the fourth overall pick. So, the Kings have a 0.8% chance to land the first-overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and select Cooper Flagg.

2025 NBA Draft Lottery Odds / Tankathon

Now that the lottery is set, there is nothing more the Kings can do to help themselves get a first-round pick, unless they hit the trade market. With new general manager Scott Perry coming to town, he could decide the best path for this Sacramento team is to go young, and with trade rumors already circulating, they could make a move for an unprotected first-round pick this summer.

Of course, no team is going to give up a potential first-overall pick for any of Sacramento's assets, but if they do trade for a lottery pick before the order of the draft is decided, they would have a greater chance to jump into the top four and add elite, young talent to the team.

All in all, the Kings landing the top pick in the 2025 draft is extremely unlikely, but there is a chance, and a bit of luck is exactly what the struggling franchise needs right now.

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

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