Kings will have No. 9 pick at 2021 NBA Draft

The ping pong balls have dropped and the Sacramento Kings will draft No. 9 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. This year will mark the seventh time in the Kings’ history that they’ve drafted No. 9 overall and the first time since 1984, when they drafted Otis Thorpe.

Here are the full draft lottery results:

1. Detroit Pistons
2. Houston Rockets
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
4. Toronto Raptors
5. Orlando Magic
6. Oklahoma City Thunder
7. Golden State Warriors
8. Orlando Magic
9. Sacramento Kings
10. New Orleans Pelicans
11. Charlotte Hornets
12. San Antonio Spurs
13. Indiana Pacers
14. Golden State Warriors

The No. 9 pick is obviously not the pick that Kings fans were hoping for, but they can find some solace in knowing that they didn’t fall out of their projected spot like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors did. Instead, they stayed put.

Now, Kings general manager Monte McNair will have a top-10 pick to work with for the first time since he took over last year. The safe bet as that the Kings will make their selection on draft night, but there’s always a possibility that the pick is used in a trade to acquire an All-Star caliber player like Ben Simmons.

To be clear: the No. 9 pick alone won’t you get there, but the No. 9 pick and a combination of players just might. Suffice to say, the next few months should be interesting, if not exciting.