Where Kings' odds of landing top pick in draft lottery stand

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After finishing the regular season with the league’s seventh-worst record and missing playoffs for a 16th consecutive year, the Kings are hoping lemons will turn into lemonade during the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday.

The chances of Sacramento landing the No. 1 overall pick are slim, but not out of the realm of possibility. The Kings’ 30-52 record gives them the seventh-best odds at seeing their ping pong ball pulled for the draft’s top pick, or 7.5 percent. 

Per Tankathon, the Kings’ are likely to land either the No. 8 pick (34.1 percent) or the No. 7 pick (19.7 percent). When it comes to picks two through four, Sacramento’s lottery odds sit at 7.8, 8.1 and 8.5 percent, respectively, but the team’s overall odds at landing a top-four pick sit at about 32 percent. 

After hiring Golden State Warriors assistant Mike Brown as the team’s next head coach, Sacramento is heading into a new era with hope for the future -- and general manager Monte McNair has emphasized that the draft is a key part of that plan.

McNair has also preached a “best player available” draft strategy, and in the last two drafts, the Kings selected Tyrese Haliburton at No. 12 in 2020 and Davion Mitchell No. 9 overall in 2021.   

"We want a guy who’s going to impact from day one, and hopefully for years and years to come,” McNair told reporters in April. “It’s hard to give a specific answer there. But we want the player who’s going to come in and help us not just for one year, not just five years from now. So, [the] best player for us is the guy who’s going to do that regardless of position and different things like that.”

One of the franchise’s newest additions, Domantas Sabonis, will be on hand at the draft lottery to represent the Kings. Should the two-time All-Star prove to be a good luck charm Tuesday, Sacramento could select a top draft prospect to complement Sabonis on the court.

RELATED: Why dynamic duo Fox, Sabonis 'excited' for future together

With a high chance of picking No. 8 or higher for the first time since selecting Marvin Bagley No. 2 overall in 2018, a tough decision lies ahead for a front office with plenty of talent in this year’s draft class.

As names like Jabari Smith Jr., Jaden Ivey, Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren round out many top draft prospect lists, the Kings have to feel good about having a one-in-three chance at landing in the draft’s top four.

And if that 7.5 percent chance at landing the No. 1 overall pick comes to fruition, Tuesday will certainly be a day to celebrate in the 916.

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