Five prospects the Sacramento Kings might draft with the No. 6 pick
The Sacramento Kings stayed where the odds said they would in the Draft Lottery, as they'll have the 6th overall selection on June 25th.
Outside of franchise center DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings have needs all over the floor. While there are some young pieces already in place like last year's first-round pick Nik Stauskas and former first-round choice Ben McLemore, the Kings can safely take a best player available approach and shift pieces as need be.
With former Kings center Vlade Divac now running the front office along with head coach George Karl, where will the Kings likely go with the No. 6 pick? Here's a look at five prospects they could end up drafting.
1. D'Angelo Russell, PG/SG, Ohio State
Let's assume that both Karl Anthony-Towns and Jahlil Okafor will be off the board by the time the Kings are on the clock. If for some crazy reason either dropped, the Kings could happily take a twin towers approach and pair either with DeMarcus Cousins. That probably won't happen, but the next best thing might be D'Angelo Russell falling in Sacramento's lap. Russell has the perimeter shooting ability to spread the floor for Cousins, and the ballhandling and vision to be a dangerous pick-and-roll partner. With the Kings in need of a playmaker and more shooting, Russell would be the perfect fit.
2. Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, Guangdong
The Kings are one of the few teams in the league without a star point guard. Even though Darren Collison is a capable player, he might be better served as a backup. Enter Mudiay, who has the kind of size, athleticism and polish to be a future star at the position. Mudiay and Cousins in the pick-and-roll could be reminiscent of Penny and Shaq in the Orlando days. The Kings need more star power, and few players in the draft have as much potential as Mudiay does.
3. Kristaps Porzingis, PF, Latvia
The Kings have long failed to play an above replacement level power forward next to Cousins, so perhaps they'd take a chance on a 7-footer with legitimate three-point range who could help space the floor. With Vlade Divac being well-versed in international basketball and scouting, it wouldn't be a shock to see the Kings go with a skilled big man to take a decent offense to the next level moving forward. Porzingis won't fit with every team, and there would be defensive concerns in Sacramento, but the offensive versatility next to Cousins might be a great fit.
4. Justise Winslow, SF, Duke
The Kings are still in need of "3 and D" wings, and Winslow looks like the best one in this draft class by a wide margin. The presence of someone like Rudy Gay shouldn't hinder the Kings at all from taking another athletic wing, as Winslow brings a lot to the table on both ends and doesn't really take anything away. All the tools are there for him to grow into game-changing small forward who doesn't have to be the first or even second option offensively, which seems to fit perfectly given Sacramento's current roster.
5. Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky
There are two reasons why this makes sense. The first is that Cauley-Stein can guard everyone on the court, and he'd provide the defensive presence in the paint the Kings sorely lack. The second reason is that if Cousins decides to demand a trade at some point, the Kings will have a contigency plan in place. Cauley-Stein is the best defensive prospect in the draft hands down, and the Kings are a miserable defensive team. He's very raw offensively and may never be much of a contributor on that end, but he'd provide a good balance with Cousins up front, so long as the Kings could find perimeter shooting elsewhere.
