Sacramento Kings' Draft Options: 5 Players They May Take with the Fifth Pick

With the 2012 NBA Draft less than 24 hours away, the Sacramento Kings have a lot of thinking to do before using their fifth pick on Thursday.

The biggest holes in the Kings' starting lineup last season were at small forward and power forward, and with two out of the three draft picks being used on guards last year, it's likely the Kings will be thinking a little "bigger" with their first pick this year. 

However, the Kings also had the youngest team in the league last season which makes a high lottery pick a valuable trading piece if their goal is to get a veteran.

Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee reported that the Kings would entertain trade offers for Tyreke Evans this summer, which also makes you wonder if he and the fifth pick could be packaged up for a veteran and a lower first rounder.    

Assuming the Kings don't trade their first pick, let's take a look at the five players the Kings are most likely to draft with it. 

Bradley Beal

While it's unlikely that Beal will fall to the fifth pick, and the Kings most urgent need isn't at Beal's natural two-guard position, Beal is a great shooter and has been labeled as a potential cross between Ray Allen and Eric Gordon. 

He's a smart basketball player who is very athletic and can defend at his position, and with the Charlotte Bobcats, Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers all having backcourt needs, he'll most likely be off the board before the fifth pick. 

Though the Kings finished 26th in field goal percentage and could use another shooter, they did manage to finish 6th in points per game and already have Tyreke Evans, Marcus Thornton, Isaiah Thomas, Jimmer Fredette and John Salmons to occupy the guard positions—Terrence Williams could be a sixth guard if he re-signs with the Kings this offseason.

Nevertheless, if Beal happens to drop past the first four picks and talented forwards like Thomas Robinson and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, are already off the board, it's very plausible the Kings could draft Beal simply for his talent and trade one or more of the aforementioned guys to obtain the size they need.  

Andre Drummond

An Andre Drummond and DeMarcus Cousins pairing could spell disaster in the attitude department, or it could mean a nightmare for opposing frontcourts throughout the league. 

At seven-feet tall and 279 pounds, Drummond could be the most talented big man in the draft. He's a talented defender with a perimeter game, and he could desperately help the Kings get better at keeping opposing teams from scoring in the paint, without having the pressure of having to score right away. 

He also may very well fall past the first four picks because of the concerns with his intensity and consistency—very similar concerns that came with drafting DeMarcus Cousins, who also happened to be picked fifth by the Kings in 2010. 

Cousins has panned out well with the Kings—particularly under the coaching of Keith Smart—and if Drummond was able to do the same, the Kings could have one of the best young frontcourts in the league for years to come.  

He's also the only one of Chad Ford's top six draft prospects to have actually attended a pre-draft workout with the Kings.     

However, with the Kings being as young as they are, and with the turmoil that has surrounded recent Sacramento arena negotiations, the Kings have a sense of urgency to get better now. 

Drummond is a bust risk and likely wouldn't reach his full potential for a few years, meaning it's likely the Kings will focus on a player who is less risky and more ready to make an impact in the coming season.

I'd like to see the Kings play Russian roulette and put Cousins and Drummond on the floor together, but I'm betting the Kings will play it a little safer this year. Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated seems to think so as well.   

Harrison Barnes

While Tyreke Evans started to settle into a new role as the team's starting small forward this past season, he still isn't as good of a shooter as the Kings need at the position. 

Again, the Kings ranked 26th in field goal percentage last year—and 29th in three-point percentage—meaning they could use a small forward who can shoot.

While I'm not necessarily a fan of trading such a young—and still very reasonably priced—talent, if the Kings decided to test the trade market with Evans to upgrade their frontcourt, they could draft a younger, better shooting small forward in Harrison Barnes to help fill Evans' void, or better yet, to move Evans back to the two-guard position and improve their depth by having either Evans or Marcus Thornton come off of the bench. 

Barnes is a good wing defender—which the Kings need—and at 6'8", he certainly has the size to be an NBA small forward. He's not as good of a ball-handler or slasher as Evans, but his numbers were at least consistent from his freshman to his sophomore year at the University of North Carolina.  

Barnes isn't the "sexiest" pick, but he could be the safe bet the Kings are looking for if he's available at the fifth pick.   

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Many mock drafts are starting to predict Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will fall past Anthony Davis, Thomas Robinson and Bradley Beal. If Kidd-Gilchrist happened to fall one more spot he could be a great fit with the Kings at small forward.

Kidd-Gilchrist is 6'8", can get to the rim and is a good perimeter defender. He can rebound, and he's very athletic. The knock on him is his lack of a consistent perimeter game, but his effort and motor would fit nice on a Kings team that desperately needs to improve in defensive rebounding—the Kings ranked 22nd this past season—and overall defense.

Kidd-Gilchrist, like Barnes, would likely mean Evans would either be traded or moved to the the two-guard position.

Unlike Barnes, Kidd-Gilchrist is much more physical and athletic, and he could make a impact on the Kings quicker than Barnes with a much higher ceiling of potential, in my opinion. 

Sam Amick reported that the Kings are no longer as high on Barnes or Kidd-Gilchrist as they originally were, but for all we know, that could be a farce, and I would be surprised if the Kings didn't grab Kidd-Gilchrist if he fell to the fifth pick.  

Thomas Robinson

Thomas Robinson isn't likely to fall as far as the fifth pick, but if he does, he is the best option for the Kings. 

Robinson is a 6'9" power forward, so he's a tad bit undersized, but what he lacks in height he more than makes up with a 244-pound chiseled frame.

Robinson is an excellent rebounder—averaging 11.9 per game in his senior year at the University of Kansas—and defender, making him a great frontcourt partner to DeMarcus Cousins.

Chad Ford of ESPN said the knock on Robinson is that he sometimes settles for his perimeter game, but his defense and strength in the post would greatly relieve some of the pressure on the Cousins' shoulders.  

Robinson would help the Kings get better at defending the paint and grabbing defensive rebounds, and he could provide the added depth they need at the power forward position—to go along with Chuck Hayes and Jason Thompson (if he decides to accept the Kings' qualifying offer).

***If the Kings end up trading down with their pick, keep an eye on Damian Lillard from Weber State who could provide added ball movement and depth at the point guard position for the Kings, and John Henson from the University of North Carolina who is one of the best interior defenders and rebounders in the draft.