THE Sacramento Kings selected Devin Carter with the 13th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft after a disappointing season that earned them a lottery selection.
Although Carter is expected to miss half the season following shoulder surgery, we can look at Sacramento’s draft history to get a general idea of ​​how their lottery picks typically play out.
Here are Sacramento’s last five lottery picks and a quick look at their careers so far:
2022: Keegan Murray, 4th overall pick
Keegan Murray, 22, was one of the oldest prospects in the draft, but the Kings took a risk. Murray was undoubtedly a league-ready forward, breaking the record for most three-pointers made in a rookie season.
After a surprisingly successful freshman year, Murray took a defensive leap forward in his sophomore season, while slowly improving other facets of his offensive game.
Keegan Murray has quietly made a real defensive leap forward in 2023-24…
6’4″, 6’2″ wingspan with a strong body. Versatile positionally, can lock on to guards, wings and some bigs. Very responsive team defender with solid weakside protection. Good defensive rebounder as well. Young two-way player! pic.twitter.com/x6OV3hFOBQ
— NBA University (@NBA_University) August 12, 2024
During his sophomore year, Murray averaged 15.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game on a 45.4/35.8/83.1 shooting split. Although his three-point efficiency declined from his impressive rookie season, Murray’s overall progress gave Kings fans hope for his future.
Heading into his third year, Murray should be a valuable 3-and-D wing alongside new frontcourt teammate DeMar DeRozan and could develop into an All-Star caliber two-way player at any time.
2021: Davion Mitchell, 9th overall pick
The Kings drafted Davion Mitchell with their top-10 pick in 2021, and the defensive-minded point guard entered the league on a high note.
After winning the NCAA national championship with the Baylor Bears, Mitchell found himself in a prominent role as a rookie with starting point guard De’Aaron Fox dealing with an injury. As a rookie, Mitchell averaged 11.5 points and 4.2 assists per game.
Unfortunately for Mitchell, his rookie season was his peak. Over the next two seasons, Mitchell averaged 5.5 points and 2.1 assists per game, struggling to hold down a spot in the rotation last season.
The kings decided to abandon Mitchell this offseason, sending it to the Toronto Raptors with Sasha Vezenkov in exchange for Jalen McDaniels.
2020: Tyrese Haliburton, 12th overall pick
Tyrese Haliburton is an undisputed NBA star and two-time All-Star, having won the gold medal with Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. His career in Sacramento was highlighted by his participation in one of the biggest trades in franchise history.
After the Kings selected Haliburton late in the 2020 draft lottery, he made an immediate impact playing alongside fellow guard De’Aaron Fox. Over the course of a season and a half, Hali averaged 13.6 points, 6.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game, showing glimpses of his abilities.
Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton near the logo 💦 pic.twitter.com/bSGAKJHpyX
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 30, 2020
But the Kings saw no future with a Haliburton-Fox backcourt and traded the young guard to the Indiana Pacers midway through the 2021-22 season. That blockbuster sent Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson to the Pacers in exchange for Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday and a 2023 second-round pick.
It’s one of the most balanced trades in recent memory, as Sabonis has become one of the league’s best big men in Sacramento, and Haliburton’s career has skyrocketed since arriving in Indianapolis.
2018: Marvin Bagley III, 2nd overall pick
Marvin Bagley was one of Duke’s most anticipated prospects in 2018, which led to one of the biggest draft mistakes in NBA history. The first five picks in the 2018 NBA Draft:
1. Deandre Ayton, PHO
2. Marvin Bagley III, SAC
3. Luka Doncic, DAL
4. Jaren Jackson Jr., MEM
5. Trae Young, ATL
In retrospect, the Kings’ draft of Bagley was a disaster, but at the time, the 6’2″ wing was expected to be a top-tier athlete. As a rookie, Bagley averaged 14.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, but his career has declined every year since.
Bagley played just 13 games in his sophomore season and played 148 games with the Kings over four seasons. The Kings ultimately abandoned the Bagley project, trading him to the Detroit Pistons during the 2021-22 season. In that four-team trade that sent Bagley to Detroit, the Kings received Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Jackson and Trey Lyles.
Kings fans let Marvin Bagley hear it 😂 pic.twitter.com/fQEBPCWgON
— The Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 20, 2022
Lyles is the only member of the trade to remain with the Kings to this day and has been a valuable backup forward.
Since leaving Sacramento, Bagley’s stats have remained consistent and he may have found a solid place with the Washington Wizards.
2017: De’Aaron Fox, 5th overall pick
De’Aaron Fox, one of Sacramento’s highest draft picks in franchise history, entered the NBA as one of the top point guards despite a rough start to the season.
Over the past four seasons, Fox has averaged 25.1 points, 6.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game, including an All-Star appearance, becoming the 2023-24 NBA steals leader and winning the inaugural 2022-23 Clutch Player of the Year Award.
Fox, 26, helped the Kings return to prominence after 16 straight years of playoff-less basketball, and Sacramento did its part by putting a strong team around him.
With Fox entering his prime, the Kings should take another step forward as playoff hopefuls with the help of Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan.
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