Ranking the Sacramento Kings' Best Options with the No. 6 Pick in 2015 NBA Draft
The Sacramento Kings are hard at work compiling their big board for the 2015 NBA draft.
Owning the No. 6 pick, Sacramento needs to rank the top players in the class so it knows whom to select when it's on the clock.
However, the Kings need to make other preparations for the draft, namely because they don't know how things will shake out. Should they simply take the best player at No. 6? Should they trade the pick for an established veteran, or should they move back and swap it for multiple assets? These are all scenarios worth considering.
But it also depends on what the Kings have in mind. Since the team is making a spirited push toward the postseason in 2015-16, improving the on-court product in the short term is the goal.
5. Draft Cameron Payne at No. 6
1 of 5
Murray State's Cameron Payne is a player who recently showed up on the radar for the Sacramento Kings. Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star reported the Kings are interested in the point guard:
"I'm hearing Cameron Payne's stock is rising. Sacramento Kings, who own the No. 6 pick, high on him & bringing him in for solo workout nxt wk."
There's nothing particularly wrong with Payne as a prospect, but it's surprising to hear him linked with the Kings at No. 6. Both ESPN's Chad Ford and Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman have Payne ranked No. 11 on their respective big boards.
The gap between No. 11 and No. 6 isn't particularly wide, especially in something so subjective as ranking players. But as Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune points out, the Kings could have just drafted Elfrid Payton last season if they were looking for a point guard:
"If only they hadn't passed on Elfrid Payton, they wouldn't be in this position lol."
And as Ford mentioned in a recent SportsNation chat (h/t Dan Feldman of NBC Sports), the Kings front office wanted Payton but was overruled by owner Vivek Ranadive (in favor of Nik "Sauce Castillo" Stauskas).
It seems to be an attempt at revisionist history. Plus, Sacramento has more pressing needs than point guard given how well Darren Collison performed last season.
Payne may be a good player in the long term, but it's hard to envision him helping the Kings much in 2015-16. And with their goal of making the playoffs, they need to add someone who can help right away.
4. Trade the Pick to the Boston Celtics for Multiple Selections
2 of 5
One idea floated in a recent mock draft by Sports Illustrated's Chis Johnson and Jeremy Woo has the Kings trading their selection to the Boston Celtics. This scenario involves the Kings swapping the No. 6 pick to the Celtics for the No. 16, 28 and 33 slots.
Here's their rationale for the trade:
"With Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins in place and having taken Nik Stauskas last season, the Kings could pass on a slew of top-notch wings and frontcourt types and deal the pick to a team like Boston in order to acquire more assets. The Celtics roster features several skilled young bigs, but none with the ability to anchor a defense like Cauley-Stein. He’ll thrive alongside a solid guard corps and help push Boston’s rebuild forward.
"
In terms of a long-term approach, this may not be a bad trade for the Kings. They'd be getting multiple assets in exchange for one. And because of the unpredictable nature of the draft, they may end up getting a player (or players) who ends up better than whomever Boston picks at No. 6.
However, this trade doesn't help the Kings much in 2015-16. Given their goal of making the playoffs, they need to add the player who can contribute the most immediately. They'd be better off either keeping the pick and drafting the best available player at No. 6 or packaging it for an established veteran.
3. Draft Justise Winslow at No. 6
3 of 5
The Kings need a three-and-D player. Duke's Justise Winslow may be the best of the bunch in this regard.
Winslow would be a good option because of his versatility. He can effectively check shooting guards, small forwards and power forwards. With Ben McLemore, Rudy Gay and Jason Thompson currently manning those positions, the Kings have players who aren't sieves but also don't have the lockdown potential Winslow has.
Plus, head coach George Karl may want to tinker with the lineups a bit. He could go small with Gay at the 4 while sliding Winslow in at the 3. The coach could even have McLemore play the 3 and move Winslow to power forward for spurts.
Winslow also showed a solid long-range shot at Duke, hitting 41.8 percent of his attempts. As Chad Ford points out, his shot could still use work, especially off the bounce, but he knocks it down when his feet are set. That makes Winslow someone defenders can't neglect, even if offense doesn't figure to be his initial calling card.
Winslow certainly wouldn't be a bad option. But as you'll see, there is one player in this year's draft who would be a better fit.
2. Draft Willie Cauley-Stein at No. 6
4 of 5
This scenario and the one listed at No. 1 were hard to rank. Both of them would be good options for the Kings.
In Willie Cauley-Stein, Sacramento would be getting the best defender in this year's draft class. With his size (7'0", 242 lbs), the center is an excellent shot-blocker, rejecting over two shots per game in each of the last two years.
But not only can Cauley-Stein defend the rim, he's also athletic enough to shadow players much smaller in stature. It wasn't odd to see him guarding wings on the perimeter during his time at Kentucky.
The Kings could use a player with that skill set. Despite Cauley-Stein's position of center, which is manned by DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento could play him next to the big man because of his versatility.
However, it's hard to put Cauley-Stein as the Kings' best option because he's still a rookie. The skill set should translate, but until it actually does, Cauley-Stein is an unknown commodity. Plus, he's raw on offense, which means his only impact in 2015-16 is likely to be on defense.
While he's probably a better long-term option than the one at the top of our rankings, it's asking a lot of a rookie to be a key piece who gets a team into the postseason.
1. Trade the No. 6 Pick to the Chicago Bulls for Taj Gibson
5 of 5
As Comcast California's Bill Herenda reported on June 2, vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac says the Kings are open to trading the No. 6 pick:
"Divac says all options on table including trading pick #NBA#KingsTalk#Kings#SacKings."
One player they should consider is Taj Gibson of the Chicago Bulls. First off, this is pure speculation on my part. There are no reports (at least not that I've seen) linking the Kings to Gibson or saying Chicago is shopping the power forward.
However, it's a swap that would help both teams.
Power forward is Sacramento's weakest position. With Gibson, the Kings could turn a weakness into a strength.
Gibson is a capable offensive player, averaging 13.6 points per 36 minutes and posting a 16.1 player efficiency rating (15.0 is average) in 2014-15. He's not a stretch 4 by any means, but Gibson can knock down open mid-range jumpers when they're there, hitting 41.5 percent of his attempts from 16 feet to the three-point line.
However, his real value to the Kings is on defense and the glass. Gibson has averaged 9.1 rebounds per 36 minutes throughout his career. He's also an effective rim protector, posting 1.9 blocks per 36 minutes. When on the ball, he held opposing power forwards to a 13.4 PER, according to 82games.com.
Gibson has a better PER than both Carl Landry (14.9) and Jason Thompson (10.2). He's also a much better defender, and he brings rim protection, which the Kings are lacking.
Not to mention, he's signed for the next two seasons on pretty fair terms ($8.5 million in 2015-16; $8.95 million in '16-17).
As for the Bulls, they don't need Gibson, with the emergence of Nikola Mirotic and the presence of Pau Gasol. He's a luxury for them, and they could capitalize on that by collecting a top-10 pick for the power forward.
Whether the move makes the Kings contenders remains to be seen, but a starting lineup of Darren Collison, Ben McLemore, Rudy Gay, Taj Gibson and DeMarcus Cousins isn't bad. Plus, having Thompson, Landry, Stauskas and Ray McCallum—in addition to whomever else Sacramento signs—provides some depth.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
