Kings GM Scott Perry Is 'Confident' Ahead of NBA Draft Lottery

The NBA Draft Lottery is coming out way on Sunday, and a few teams have more to gain (or lose) than the Sacramento Kings. The Kings were not the worst team in the NBA, but they were certainly close. On top of that, they don’t have a franchise cornerstone (or even a potential young star) as many of the other teams near the bottom of the standings do. 

Despite all these facts, Kings GM Scott Perry told Andscape’s Marc Spears that he’s “comfortable” wherever the team lands.

“This is a deep draft. And I’m going into this thing confident that wherever we land, we’ll be able to find someone who improves the talent base on this roster,” Perry said.

Worst Case Scenario 

The lowest the Kings can fall in the draft is to the ninth pick, which is obviously still a “good” pick to have. The problem for the Kings is that they need a star to build their team around, and this may be Sacramento’s best chance at finding that player before the lottery changes. 

There are other ways to find that type of player, but they just aren’t avenues that are available to the Kings. Sacramento will likely never be a major free agent destination, and other than a move involving Keegan Murray, the Kings don’t have much that would interest another team.

“This potentially is a really good draft, a deep draft, potentially. So you have to get comfortable with nine players,” Perry said.

There’s no guarantee that any outlet's rankings will be correct, but for the sake of this article, let’s take ESPN’s “Best Available” rankings. Coming in at number nine is Mikel Brown Jr., who had an up-and-down season at Louisville, but showed flashes of star potential. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and if you ask me, the Kings would be extremely lucky to snag Brown Jr. this late in the draft. His efficiency (41% from the field) leaves a bit to be desired, but when you factor in the type of shots he was taking and his injuries, there’s a lot to be excited about with him.

With Brown Jr., the Kings still have some star potential to bet on, but should things fall differently, Sacramento may not be as lucky. 

ESPN has Nate Ament ranked right ahead of Brown Jr., and this is just one man's opinion, but I have a hard time seeing Ament becoming a star. Highly ranked coming out of high school, Ament didn’t come out of the gates as hot as many expected. Ament averaged nearly 17 points per game but shot under 40% from the field and wasn’t nearly as dynamic as many experts predicted he would be. Ament can still be a helpful player for Sacramento and even be a quality starter someday, but they need more than that.

Best Case Scenario 

The best outcome for Sacramento is clearly landing the number one overall pick, but anywhere in the top four would give them a shot at a player who can immediately change the direction of the franchise. 

There isn’t a consensus number one, but Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Caleb Wilson are generally considered the best four in the draft. Sacramento has already been linked to Dybantsa and Wilson, and they may be the obvious fits with their size and defensive potential, but Peterson and Boozer aren’t bad fits either. 

More than anything, Sacramento needs an offensive centerpiece, a go-to option if you will. Whether that’s a lead guard, a wing scorer, or any other archetype shouldn’t really matter to the Kings right now. There has been plenty of talk about Cam Boozer’s fit next to Max Raynaud or Domantas Sabonis, and Darius Acuff Jr.’s fit on a bad defensive team. As much as I’ve participated in that discourse, it shouldn’t matter. 

“When you talk about Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud, and Dylan Cardwell, who was undrafted and on a two-way contract, who we converted his contract—each and every one of those players got better,” Perry said.

Maybe that fact is where Scott Perry’s head is at as well. He’s clearly a fan of Sacramento’s young players, as noted by the quote above, but his goal is to add talent to that group, and I don’t think he’s worried about potential “fits” yet. 

When viewed from that perspective, it makes sense that Perry is feeling confident going into the draft (even if fans may not be). The Kings may not be finding their savior if the lottery doesn’t go well, but there’s something to be excited about with pretty much every player Perry has a shot at.

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