The Sacramento Kings decided to rebuild last year as they traded longtime star DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans. Armed with two lottery picks (numbers five and ten), the Kings will be able to take a big step forward by adding two impact players in the 2017 NBA Draft.
We are gaining some insight into what the Kings may want to do in their first summer without Cousins. According to the Sacramento Bee’s Ailene Voisin, the Kings and GM Vlade Divac have a plan for positional needs:
The Kings, who are semi-regulars at the draft lottery festivities, continue to get their opportunities. With two top-10 picks (No. 5 and No. 10) in the June 22 draft, GM Vlade Divac is intent on drafting a point guard and a small forward. As of today, he’s targeting Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox at No. 5.
That makes sense; the Kings already have some talented, young bigs. They need a point guard in a league dominated by them and they need a wing player that they lack. That said, drafting solely for position is a dangerous path for a team that in general just needs a talent upgrade.
Voisin’s mention of Fox as a Kings’ target is interesting as the Kentucky guard seems to have mutual interest.
De’Aaron Fox targeted SAC even before the lottery as a place he would like to land. Team need + friends with Cauley-Stein. Could happen at 5
— Scott Howard-Cooper (@SHowardCooper) May 18, 2017
Fox seems like the perfect fit in Sacramento for the reasons detailed above. He’s a speedy point guard that could man that position for years if he reaches his potential.
It’s also important to note that this is prime time for teams to leak rumors that are for their best interests. It’s very much possible that the idea of Fox wanting to be a Kings is created by the Kings, hoping to scare off other teams from drafting him first. I don’t know if that is the case but it’s worth mentioning at the very least.
