Kings Mock Draft Roundup 2.0: Experts Wildly Predict Pick 13

The experts are all over the place when predicting the Sacramento Kings' draft night selection.

Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht (3) walks off the court after a NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game between Tennessee and Purdue held at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Sunday, March 31, 2024. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA

The 2024 NBA Finals has concluded and the offseason has officially begun. With nearly one week until the draft, teams can now bargain with their pending free agents to bring them back, which will shake up the summer sooner than usual.

With star sixth man Malik Monk entering unrestricted free agency, the Sacramento Kings can start conversations with the 26-year-old guard in an attempt to resign him, and his answer could change the trajectory of their offseason. While Monk cannot officially sign a deal until July 6, the Kings can gauge where he stands.

The Kings hold the 13th-overall pick in the upcoming draft, but who they select could alter depending on Monk's stance. Experts around the country have given their opinions on who the Kings will be taking on draft night:

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C Kel'El Ware, Indiana Hoosiers - Bleacher Report

"An impressive pro day of shooting has had teams buzzing about Kel'el Ware. Sources say he's generating realistic consideration in the late lottery.

The narrative about his underwhelming motor has seemingly been squashed.

Ware figures to look highly enticing in a workout setting that can showcase his athleticism at the rim, mobility and high shotmaking skill level." - Jonathan Wasserman

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G Ja'Kobe Walter, Baylor Bears - CBS Sports

"I'm personally higher on Walter than the majority — but indications are that he's now mostly considered a borderline lottery pick as opposed to the likely top-10 pick he projected as before his first and only season at Baylor. With Malik Monk headed for unrestricted free agency and possibly to another franchise, adding a guard with size who can shoot would be a sensible move for Sacramento." - Gary Parrish

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G Carlton Carrington, Pittsburgh Panthers - Yahoo! Sports

"Carrington was a projected mid-to-late first-round pick all season and has catapulted to the lottery during workouts and team meetings. He has great size and is so productive offensively, playing on or off the ball. His shot selection still needs some fine-tuning, but there are a lot of teams in the 10-20 range that love his up." - Krysten Peek

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G/F Dalton Knecht, Tennessee Volunteers - SBNation

"This feels like the low-end for Knecht’s range in the draft, with the Blazers lurking as his floor with the next pick. Knecht fits Sacramento’s existing style well: he’s a high-volume, highly-accurate three-point shooter for a team that finished No. 3 in three-point rate last season. Sacramento could probably use a little more size at this pick, but Knecht feels like a plug-and-play option for a team that wants to stay competitive in the West." - Ricky O'Donnell

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G Nikola Topic, Serbia - The Ringer

"The Kings already have De’Aaron Fox. But Topic’s size could allow him to share the backcourt with Fox in the years to come. Topic can attack downhill and is a willing playmaker who’d thrive in a multi-handler offense as long as his shot successfully develops." - Kevin O'Connor

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G Rob Dillingham, Kentucky Wildcats - The Athletic

"I acknowledge that the Kings need help to claw their way back into the playoff picture in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. In order to address an immediate need, Sacramento attempting to trade the draft rights to a player it selects here would make sense. (Keep in mind that the Kings owe the Hawks a first-round pick, top-12 protected for 2025 and top-10 protected for 2026, so the Kings’ cupboard of future first-round picks that could be traded isn’t as full as they would like.)

But for the purposes of this exercise, let’s assume here that Sacramento will retain the draft rights to whomever it picks 13th. In that case, Dillingham would be an intriguing prospect. If Malik Monk leaves in free agency, Dillingham could provide some scoring punch. If Monk re-signs with the Kings, then Dillingham could learn from one of the league’s best sixth men." - Josh Robbins

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