ASU center Jayden Quaintance (21) reacts after his fifth foul against Iowa State during a game at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Jan. 25, 2025. Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Which NBA Draft Prospects Could be the Best Fit for the Kings?

Originally posted on NBA Draft on SI | By Latif Love | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 2:53 PM ET

The Sacramento Kings have hovered around mediocrity in back-to-back seasons and will likely do the same this season, seeing as Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are still on the roster.

The Kings will have a puncher's chance at a top pick because the West is a bloodbath, but as of today, Tankathon’s draft lottery has them slotted as the 8th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Below, we’ll take a look at three prospects who are the best fits for Sacramento and could be available at pick eight.

3. Bennett Stirtz, Iowa

Since drafting Davion Mitchell in 2021, the Kings have consistently selected older players. Stirtz would continue this trend, for better or worse. Last season, Stirtz was one of the best players in the country, leading Drake to an NCAA tournament win, averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 assists and 4,7 rebounds on 60.8 true shooting.

Stirtz was the sun for Drake’s offense. The team had a 115.5 offensive rating with him on the court compared to 89.7 with him off. If he can keep up this production and impact in the Big Ten, he’d undeniably be in the conversation for a top ten pick. The Kings need a point guard and draft history suggests they could bite.

2. Mikel Brown, Louisville

The Kings signed Eurobasket MVP Dennis Schroder this offseason to fill the void left by De’Aaron Fox, but that should be a temporary bandage for their point guard problem. Brown is considered by many to be the point guard in the class, after a growth spurt led to athletic advancement and a dominant FIBA U19 showing.

Brown has the chance to warp defenses with his ability to hurt teams as a shooter and playmaker—a sort of dynamism Sacramento hasn’t seen since Tyrese Haliburton. Brown must prove that he can be an efficient two-point scorer and a passable defender to stay in this range—but if he can, Kings fans will be lighting the beam when his name is called.

1. Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky

Sacramento has been a bottom-five defense in two of the last three seasons due to a lack of component perimeter defenders or a proper anchor. Enter Quaintance, one of the decade's best defensive prospects.

Quaintance’s 4.2 defensive box-plus minus (DBPM), 9.8 block percentage, two steal percentage, and 18.4 rebounding percentage put him amongst names such as Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis in terms of freshman bigs in high major conferences to have immense defensive impact—and he did it at 17. Quaintance will need to show that he still has the same twitch and athleticism after his knee injury and show improvement on the offensive end, but his defense alone would make the center worth the swing at eight.

This article first appeared on NBA Draft on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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