Revisiting the Last 5 Kings Lottery Picks

The Sacramento Kings have had some booms and busts through their last five lottery picks.

Sep 27, 2021; Sacramento Kings, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell (15) and guard De'Aaron Fox (5) and guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) during media day. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports / Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

The Sacramento Kings drafted Devin Carter with the 13th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft following a disappointing season that landed them a lottery selection.

While 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 selections typically pan out.

Here are Sacramento's last five lottery picks, and a quick look at their careers thus far:

2022: Keegan Murray, 4th Overall Pick

Keegan Murray, 22, came into his draft as one of the older prospects at the top of the board, yet the Kings took the risk. Murray was undoubtedly a league-ready forward, breaking the record for most three-pointers made in a rookie season.

After a surprisingly successful rookie year, Murray took a defensive leap in his sophomore season, while slowly improving other facets of his offensive game.

Keegan Murray quietly had a legit defensive leap in '23-'24…

6'8, 6'11 wingspan with a sturdy body. Positionally versatile, can hang with guards, wings, & some bigs. High-feel team defender w/ solid weak-side rim protection. Good defensive rebounder as well. 2-way young player! pic.twitter.com/x6OV3hFOBQ

— NBA University (@NBA_University) August 12, 2024

In year two, Murray averaged 15.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game with 45.4/35.8/83.1 shooting splits. While his three-point efficiency took a dip from his impressive rookie year, Murray's all-around improvements have given Kings fans hope for his future.

Heading into year three, Murray is expected to be a valuable 3-and-D wing next to his new frontcourt teammate DeMar DeRozan and could leap into being an All-Star caliber two-way player at any moment.

2021: Davion Mitchell, 9th overall pick

The Kings drafted Davion Mitchell with their top-ten pick in 2021, and the defensive-minded point guard came into the league on a high note.

Coming off an 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 injury. As a rookie, Mitchell averaged 11.5 points and 4.2 assists per game.

Unfortunately for Mitchell, his rookie season was his peak. Through his next two seasons, Mitchell averaged 5.5 points and 2.1 assists per game, struggling to keep his spot in the rotation this past season.

The Kings decided to give up on Mitchell this offseason, shipping him to the Toronto Raptors along with Sasha Vezenkov in exchange for Jalen McDaniels.

2020: Tyrese Haliburton, 12th overall pick

Tyrese Haliburton is a sure-fire NBA star and two-time All-Star coming off a Gold Medal with Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. His Sacramento career was highlighted by being a part of one of the biggest trades in franchise history.

After the Kings drafted Haliburton late in the 2020 lottery, he became an instant impact playing alongside backcourt mate De'Aaron Fox. Through a season and a half, Hali averaged 13.6 points, 6.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, showing glimpses of how good he can be.

Kings rook Tyrese Haliburton from near the logo 💦 pic.twitter.com/bSGAKJHpyX

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 30, 2020

But, the Kings did not see a future with a Haliburton-Fox backcourt and traded the young guard to the Indiana Pacers mid-way through the 2021-22 season. This 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.

This is regarded as one of the most even blockbuster trades in recent memory, as Sabonis has emerged as one of the league's top big men in Sacramento, and Haliburton's career has skyrocketed since arriving in Indianapolis.

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2018: Marvin Bagley III, 2nd overall pick

Marvin Bagley was one of the most highly-touted prospects coming out of Duke in 2018, leading to one of the biggest draft mistakes in NBA history. The top 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 hindsight, the Kings selecting Bagley here is a disaster, but at the time, the 6-foot-10 forward was expected to be a stud. As a rookie, Bagley averaged 14.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, but his career has declined yearly since.

Bagley appeared in just 13 games his sophomore season and played 148 games with the Kings through four seasons. The Kings eventually gave up on the Bagley project, trading him to the Detroit Pistons during the 2021-22 season. In this 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

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 20, 2022

Lyles is the only member of the trade to stick with the Kings to the present day and has been a valuable backup forward.

Since leaving Sacramento, Bagley's stats have stayed consistent, and he has possibly found a solid home with the Washington Wizards.

2017: De'Aaron Fox, 5th overall pick

One of Sacramento's best draft picks in franchise history, De'Aaron Fox. The one-time All-Star has come onto the scene as one of the NBA's top point guards, barring a slow start in his rookie year.

Over the last four seasons, Fox has averaged 25.1 points, 6.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, including one All-Star appearance, becoming the 2023-24 NBA steals leader, and bringing home the inaugural 2022-23 Clutch Player of the Year award.

Fox, 26, has helped lead the Kings back into relevancy after 16 consecutive years of playoff-less basketball, and Sacramento has done their duty by putting a solid roster around him.

As Fox enters his prime, the Kings are expected to take another leap as playoff hopefuls with Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan helping him out.

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