Apr 3, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard DeMar DeRozan (10) dribbles against New Orleans Pelicans guard Saddiq Bey (left) during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Kings Stumble in Draft Lottery With Win vs. Pelicans

Originally posted on Sacramento Kings on SI
By Logan Struck | Last updated Apr 4, 2026 1:00 PM ET

Less than a month ago, the Sacramento Kings had the worst record in the NBA and were sitting tight in first place in the NBA Draft lottery standings. Now, fast forward 14 games, and the Kings have spiraled down the lottery.

The Kings are 7-7 in their last 14, and with a win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night, they are now tied with the Utah Jazz for fourth place in the lottery standings. If the Kings fall any further or lose the end-of-season tie-breaking coin flip, they will finish in fifth. Going from having a guaranteed top-five pick when they were in first to potentially falling to the ninth overall pick is a drastic change for this Kings franchise, looking to rebuild.

Tankathon

Have the Kings won too much?

In Sacramento's defense, it is respectable that they are not actively tanking. Even though there was some speculation when guys like Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and De'Andre Hunter were shut down for the season, they have continued to show effort in these late-season games.

Maxime Raynaud, Precious Achiuwa, and DeMar DeRozan have all stepped up big time for the Kings down the stretch, while their other young guys have found ways to make impacts as well. Still, though, they might be winning too much.

Picking up a few wins to boost the team's morale, keep the players engaged, and help develop the young core is not bad, regardless of whether a team is trying to lose or not. However, winning half of their last 14 games, when most of the other teams at the top of the lottery are on losing streaks, is a recipe for disaster for the Kings.

What's next for the Kings?

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Kings have just four games left in the regular season, with all four games coming against teams currently in the Western Conference play-in picture. There is a good chance that Friday's win over the Pelicans was their last win of the season, and for their sake in the lottery, they should hope it was.

They are still set to face the L.A. Clippers, Golden State Warriors (2x), and Portland Trail Blazers, setting up a mini-gauntlet as they end their 2025-26 campaign.

The Kings can hope that they are still able to jump up in the lottery and land a top-three pick, but with how things are trending for them, they have a strong chance of falling out of the top five.

Still, in such a loaded draft class, any team picking near the top has a chance of striking gold, but their recent success is certainly making things harder.

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

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