The Sacramento Kings traded for the 24th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft where guard Nique Clifford was selected out of Colorado State. Let’s take a look at the Kings best NBA draft picks in franchise history. Their time as their Rochester/Cincinnati Royals and Kansas City Kings are included. It’s not necessarily the 10 best players ranked in order as where they were selected was taken into consideration. Only time with the team is credited. Some honorable mentions that were heavily considered include Scott Wedman, Eddie Johnson, Otis Birdsong, Otis Thorpe, Kevin Martin, and Isaiah Thomas.
10 Best NBA Draft Picks In Sacramento Kings History
10. Maurice Stokes (2nd overall, 1950)
A tragic accident on the basketball court ended Maurice Stokes’ playing career after just three seasons. They were three incredible years though for the 6-foot-7 forward. He was Rookie of the Year in 1955-56, led the league in rebounding that year, and was an All-NBA second team member all three seasons.
9. Sam Lacey (5th overall, 1970)
Look at the franchise’s all-time games played leaderboard and Sam Lacey is atop the list with 888. An All-Star in 1974-75, he averaged a double-double his first six years in the league. He is also the team career leader in rebounds (9,353).
8. Adrian Smith (86th overall, 1958)
To be an All-Star as an 86th overall pick like Adrian Smith was, he has to be on here. That occurred in the 1965-66 season, and he was named the game’s MVP. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 16.4 points in the four years from 1964-65 until 1967-68.
7. De’Aaron Fox (5th overall, 2017)
De’Aaron Fox was a member of the Kings until February when he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs. He won the first ever Clutch Player of the Year award in 2022-23 when he also made the All-NBA third team. Fox averaged at least 25 points in three of his last four full seasons with Sacramento.
6. DeMarcus Cousins (5th overall, 2010)
One of the best offensive big men while with Sacramento, DeMarcus Cousins made three straight All-Star squads with the team. A stellar rebounder as well, he averaged at least 11 boards four times. Cousins’ 9,894 points are the seventh-most in team history.
5. Peja Stojakovic (14th overall, 1996)
Peja Stojakovic was one of the game’s top sharpshooters while with the Kings. The 6-foot-10 forward is second in franchise history with 1,070 made three-pointers and eighth with 9,498 points. In 2003-04, he was fourth in MVP voting, a season where he also led the league in made threes and free-throw accuracy.
4. Tiny Archibald (19th overall, 1970)
In 1972-73, Tiny Archibald led the league in both scoring (34.0) and assists (11.4). Three times in his six years with the organization, he made the All-NBA first team. The 6-foot-1 point guard had three finishes in the top-nine of MVP voting.
3. Jerry Lucas (6th overall, 1962)
One of the game’s premier rebounders, Jerry Lucas was an All-Star in each of his six full seasons with Cincinnati. The 1963-64 Rookie of the Year twice averaged more than 20 boards per contest. He also averaged more than 20 points three times and made the All-NBA first team two times.
2. Jack Twyman (10th overall, 1955)
A Hall of Fame inductee in 1983, Jack Twyman spent his whole 11-year career with the Rochester/Cincinnati Royals. The six-time All-Star had three top-10 MVP finishes and made two All-NBA second teams. Twyman had a four-season stretch from 1958-59 until 1961-62 where he averaged 26.2 points and 8.6 rebounds.
1. Oscar Robertson (1st overall, 1960)
Known as ‘The Big O’, Oscar Robertson played 10 seasons with the Cincinnati Royals. In 1961-62, he became the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double for the season. The 1963-64 MVP led the league in assists seven times and won a scoring title with the franchise.
Photo credit: © Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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