The Sacramento Kings are looking for big things from the 2026 NBA Draft, but they aren't the only ones. Apparently, the OKC Thunder want to draft in the top ten, and have been chatting with the Kings' front office about how to make that happen. It's a deal Sacramento has to take seriously.
As it stands right now, the Kings have one pick in the first round at seven as well as a pair in the second round. Considering how much incredible talent there is in this draft class, those three picks could lead to some key building blocks for what Sacramento is trying to put together.
FanSided's mock draft has the Kings using that seventh pick to select Darius Acuff Jr. He could be a massive upgrade at the point guard position, but Sacramento also has their eyes on other draft targets like Mikel Brown Jr. and Kingston Flemings. That's assuming the Kings don't trade down.
The Thunder are in a tough spot
The Thunder currently have a pair of first-round picks at 12 and 17, as well as one second-round pick. They have approached the Kings about trading for the seventh pick, possibly giving up those other two first-round picks in exchange. It seems odd, but the Thunder do need to make some big choices.
While they just won a title in 2025, OKC is about to be forced into a few unwanted roster changes. They have 15 players under contract for 2026-2027 with a total payroll of over $250 million. That puts them way over the salary cap and the second apron. The Kings are in a similar position.
OKC has six players with team options, including Isaiah Hartenstein and Lu Dort. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are also due for huge pay increases. To even come close to fixing their payroll issues, they'll need to drop every player with a team option, and that still might not be enough.
OKC talks to the Kings about a big move
If the Thunder lose all six players, including Dort and Hartenstein, they are going to need a heavy hitter to fill the gap. That means getting the biggest pull out of the 2026 NBA draft they can. And trading the Kings for their number seven pick would definitely do that.
Sacramento getting two first-round picks isn't a bad thing, either. That would give them a total of four picks in the deepest draft class in at least 20 years. Adding that many young rookies would give the Kings options. They could put them in G League development or use them for trades.
Not everyone agrees that trading down is the right move for the Kings. But if Scott Perry thinks it's the right move for the rebuild, that's what he'll do. The franchise has to make bold moves to build towards the future, and trading down in a draft is as bold as it gets.
