The Sacramento Kings have a lot of missing pieces, not to mention a few that just don't fit. For them, the goal for this draft has to be finding who complement's what they're already building with players like Dylan Cardwell. A potential two-way forward like Karim Lopez definitely fits that scenario.
Lopez is a 19-year-old Mexican-born athlete who has caught a lot of attention playing internationally. He started out with Joventut Badalona, a Liga ACB and EuroCup team based out of Badalona, Catalonia, Spain. He was there from 2022 to 2024, and was promoted to their senior squad.
He ended his time in Spain after signing a contract with the New Zealand Breakers, a Auckland-based team that competes in Australia's National Basketball League (NBL). NBA players like Ousmane Dieng, R.J. Hampton, and Rayan Rupert have all been on the Breakers' roster over the years.
The Breakers won the 2026 NBL Ignite Cup, defeating the Adelaide 36ers by a score of 111 to 107 in the final. Lopez finished the game with 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals. After that, he declared for the 2026 NBA Draft, hopefully to the Kings as they could really use him.
Lopez would be a great addition to the Kings' rebuild roster
The most recent FanSided mock draft has Lopez being selected 12th overall and going to the Brooklyn Nets. He's viewed across the league as one of the top prospects to ever come out of Mexico as well as the NBL Next Stars program, so first round is highly likely for him.
As usual, the same mock draft also projects the Kings going with Darius Acuff Jr., which has been FanSided's consistent stance for several weeks. Most, if not all, mock drafts show the Kings using their first round pick on a new point guard, which really isn't a bad idea at all.
At the same time, Sacramento also needs wing depth. That's where a small forward like Lopez could be the right call. He's got NBA size, and plays a very physical game, which leads to a lot of rebounds. He's an excellent finisher in the paint but is also viewed as an unselfish playmaker.
Lopez will need some development in overall consistency as well as off-ball defense. Fortunately, defense is Doug Christie's specialty. Lopez is young, hungry, and has all the building blocks to be an elite forward in the NBA. The Kings would do well to seriously consider him in this draft.
