Sacramento Kings 2015 Draft Preview

Jun 23, 2015 - 4:12 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Sacramento Kings have a top-10 pick for the sixth consecutive season.

Shockingly, or not so surprisingly if you follow the Kings, they don't have much to show for that kind of surplus of early first-round talent. They have one of the best centers in the league in DeMarcus Cousins, but a rag-tag group around him.

Rudy Gay can score, but is inefficient and expensive. Darren Collison is not a long-term answer at point guard. Ben McLemore blossomed in his sophomore season in the league. Nik Stauskas disappointed in his rookie campaign.

George Karl took over at the All-Star break. He's trying to make the Kings more fluid on offense. He really needs a point guard to do that, but Sacramento has so many needs, the brain trust, whoever that is in California's capital, can go almost anywhere.

However, Yahoo Sports! reported that Karl wants to trade Cousins. It's still impossible to imagine a scenario where the Kings trade one of the best centers in the league, who is 24.

Let's assume Cousins stays.

Kentucky's Willie Cauley-Stein could provide cover for Cousins. It would mean Cauley-Stein can cover the pivot men and Cousins wouldn't take quite such a beating.

If Karl had his way, he'd probably love to see Emmanuel Mudiay slip down to six. Mudiay would be the point guard Karl could build his team around, but six would be a pretty severe drop for Mudiay.

Duke's Justise Winslow is an option, but doesn't really fit a need. Murray State's Cameron Payne might be a slightly weaker option than Mudiay, but that small-school guy might fit that wild-card Kings' mentality.

Sacramento's unpredictability might lead to trade. There have been whispers that Karl would love to reunite with his Denver point guard, Ty Lawson, so the Kings could be trade players.

Under Contract: C DeMarcus Cousins; F Rudy Gay; F Carl Landry; F Jason Thompson; G Darren Collison; G Ben McLemore; G/F Nik Stauskas; G Ray McCallum; G David Stockton; F Eric Moreland

Free Agents: F Derrick Williams; G Andre Miller; F Reggie Evans; F Omri Casspi; F Ryan Hollins

Recent Draft History

2014: Nik Stauskas (8)

2013: Ben McLemore (7), Ray McCallum (36)

2012: Thomas Robinson (5), Orlando Johnson (36)

2011: Bismack Biyombo (7), Tyler Honeycutt (35), Isaiah Thomas (60)

2010: DeMarcus Cousins (5), Hassan Whiteside (33)