Nik Stauskas. Ben McLemore. Thomas Robinson. Jimmer Fredette. For the Sacramento Kings, NBA Draft night has been nothing short of a disaster for the better part of the past decade.
Given their past faux pas, there is added pressure on the Kings' front office to hit a home run with their No. 2 pick Thursday. The Phoenix Suns are expected to take Deandre Ayton first overall, leaving Sacramento with its choice from the rest of the crop. So far plenty of names have been floated out there, but Marc Stein of The New York Times reports that the Kings have zeroed in on Duke product Marvin Bagley III ... at least for now.
Sacramento: Capital city of NBA intrigue. Marvin Bagley is the CURRENT favorite at No. 2 in the draft, but there are teams in the lottery that think the Kings ultimately can't resist Luka Doncic … and they've been known to be weighing Michael Porter, too. Answers: 24 hours away
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 20, 2018
Stein also reports that other NBA teams think that Sacramento could ultimately select international superstar Luka Doncic at No. 2, and that Michael Porter Jr. is also being considered.
Another botched draft pick would be a huge setback for a young team looking to establish a new culture in the post-DeMarcus Cousins era. Recent lottery picks De'Aaron Fox (fifth overall), Buddy Hield (sixth, by New Orleans) and Willie Cauley-Stein (sixth) have shown promise, so adding a potential superstar in this year's draft could take the Kings from laughingstock to up-and-comer.
With those kind of stakes, the debate about whom to select with the No. 2 pick will likely rage among the Kings' brass until the clock hits zero Thursday night.
