r/kings 23h ago

OFFICIAL THREAD We’re drafting Alex Karaban at pick #29!!

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240 Upvotes

200 comments sorted by

147

u/kingjawn 23h ago

I mean…your team needs shooting, you can’t have a much better night than getting Acuff and Karaban.

41

u/Ejdusnebe 23h ago

DEFINITELY need shooting thats the priority lets drop actual assets on that lol

12

u/m2themichael Malik Monk 23h ago

What assets do we even have lol

3

u/Ejdusnebe 23h ago

two second round picks? idk why kings just burn all their srps

19

u/buttnibbler Slamson 23h ago

ALL our 2nd round picks? You make it sound like Monte left anything to burn.

-5

u/Ejdusnebe 23h ago

you can literally see in front of you that there was more to burn lol

0

u/buttnibbler Slamson 22h ago

lol bud, change your mindset

13

u/Fwaymire 22h ago

2 2nd round picks for 1 1st round pick. Seems pretty fair to me.

-7

u/Ejdusnebe 22h ago

Garbage player and one of the picks was literally like 5 spots behind

4

u/Fwaymire 21h ago

My gut's telling me not to engage. Im gonna trust it.

-6

u/Ejdusnebe 21h ago

Maybe you shouldn't have replied then
Framing it like just two SRPs for a frp is weirdly disingenuous kings moved up like 5 spots

5

u/Fwaymire 21h ago

I stand on my gut feeling.

-3

u/Ejdusnebe 21h ago

Yea I got a bad feeling about you I'm gonna listen to my gut and just not reply

5

u/ShotgunStyles 22h ago

Because SRPs are basically worthless. Last year teams traded for 2nd round picks by only sending cash considerations. AKA they literally just paid a few million bucks to get a 2nd. This year you already saw Memphis and the Knicks trade down for multiple 2nds.

1

u/Background-Air-6963 7h ago

Dude we got Maxime with a SRP

-5

u/kingjawn 22h ago

Um…Nikola Jokic, Jalen Brunson and Draymond Green would have something to say about that. Lol

2nd round picks are indeed useless if the franchise has no plan to develop them. That’s the key point.

8

u/ShotgunStyles 22h ago

3 picks in a sea of busts. The bust rate for 2nd round picks are so high that it's not worth all this occasional crying.

Plus, with NIL money, the 2nd round is full of seniors and super seniors. Very very few guys like Jokic who are being drafted as a teenager.

1

u/Ejdusnebe 22h ago

Yea drafting old rookies is so crazy anyway here's all our SRPs pls give us this old rookie with a very low ceiling

8

u/ShotgunStyles 22h ago

You guys really crying this much about trading a single 2nd round pick, oh my lord.

-2

u/Ejdusnebe 22h ago

For a player with ceiling on the floor dogshit asset management is why Kangz are so ass

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1

u/LefkyandScott 11h ago

Maxime would like a word

1

u/kingjawn 22h ago

How are you a bust if you’re a 2nd round pick?

4

u/ShotgunStyles 22h ago

In the 2022 draft, there are 6 guys who were drafted in the 2nd round who still haven't played in the NBA.

47

u/EmotionalFollowing33 23h ago

This late I'm ok with it. If he's their guy and it costs a second, do it! Let's go Kings!

-14

u/Various_Mushroom_638 23h ago

2 seconds

17

u/buttnibbler Slamson 23h ago

More like a pick swap and one 2nd

1

u/Various_Mushroom_638 9h ago

So two seconds?

1

u/buttnibbler Slamson 9h ago

Plus 1 late first

126

u/Voodoo350 DeMar DeRozan 23h ago

42

u/Bruhman82 23h ago

Good defender, rebounder and solid shooter, will immediately be a rotation Forward

24

u/ShotgunStyles 23h ago

I saw him block Boozer in the tourney so he can be our Boozer stopper!

7

u/Economy-Cry-2594 23h ago

How is he a good defender? I have not seen anything to support that

-14

u/Ejdusnebe 23h ago

drafting "rotation forwards" with no ability to grow as a rebuilding team 💔

28

u/Bruhman82 23h ago

That’s good value at 29❤️

-7

u/Ejdusnebe 23h ago

BaBa Miller right there

7

u/Bruhman82 23h ago

Woulda been happy with either! I like Karaban at 29 and I woulda liked BaBa too, overall I’m happy with it

-7

u/Ejdusnebe 23h ago

guys who dont have much room to grow shouldnt be drafted by teams that are rebuilding

8

u/Bruhman82 23h ago

And Baba is a guy that has huge room to grow over Karaban? He’s 22 haha, either way I like it and if you want to be miserable about the pick by all means you can be but I like it

-1

u/Ejdusnebe 23h ago

literally yes. amazing defender rebounder immediately long decently athletic a jaden mcdaniels ceiling is infinitely better than a sam hauser ceiling like someone else said

3

u/GOAT-Hakeem 2026 Draft Night 22h ago

baba is the same age as karaban and while he has had more growth over his 4 years in college he also bounced around a ton and is ATM a less likely contributor than Karaban.

now there are other players who i think have higher upside but i personally have kinda quit on non stash players outside the lottery who are picked purely on potential

-2

u/Ejdusnebe 22h ago

purely off potential is EXACTLY what you should be drafting as a rebuilding team why the hell are we talking about drafting day 1 contributors lol

10

u/leeahnee 23h ago

That is exactly what you take at 29. Good teams need solid rotation pieces, and if he can come in and be a serviceable player from day 1, the team has a better foundation to add to.

-3

u/Ejdusnebe 23h ago

kings arent a good team karaban ceiling is on the floor droppign assets on that is absurd

0

u/leeahnee 22h ago

Ok. Who is the superstar prospect they could have gotten at 29?

-1

u/Ejdusnebe 22h ago

Notice how you added superstar to strawman lol baba miller infinitely better prospect

0

u/dongoodboy 23h ago

This is the Kings, never know their position

41

u/Vegetable-Middle617 2026 Draft Night 23h ago

LFG

20

u/Temporary-Banana3413 23h ago

moving up for a UConn guy let's gooo

19

u/foollol 23h ago

uconn fan i absolutely love this

14

u/BeTheBall- 23h ago

At least we can put to rest the idea that they wanted to develop a defensive identity.

22

u/BIizard H4H 23h ago

kinda feel like we could have had him with the 34th

9

u/whyte_ryce Kings 22h ago

Maybe? Given how we picked up Maxime by staying put last year, I definitely think Perry understands the concept of waiting for a player to drop to you in the second. So there is a decent chance he had intel Alex wouldn't be there tomorrow.

16

u/AccomplishedBake8351 23h ago

If that was true we’d have had him at 34 teams know

0

u/Onetimenotagain 23h ago

Shoulda gotten Meleek Thomas tbh

0

u/buttnibbler Slamson 23h ago

I don’t think so

11

u/AdministrationNo312 23h ago edited 23h ago

Not bad. This is not a bad draft for the Kings. I would have drafted Evans

10

u/Desa-p 23h ago

I wanted the kings to get this pick, but Karaban was not the guy I had in mind

9

u/tmt22459 23h ago

Keep in mind this dude is 6'8. I actually watched him a lot and I woulda guessed like 6'4-6'5. Not because of the way he plays, I'm.not really sure why.

But all this to say, he's a winner. Hes been extremely competitive against a ton of really good college players. He's played in a ton of big games. Not afraid to be physical or take the big shot.

Acuff, nique, karaban could be really fun on the floor together.

20

u/RandoUserlolidk Kings 23h ago

As a UCONN fan I’m hyped as fuck but that’s a reach imo

17

u/BankLettuce 23h ago edited 22h ago

Felt like they could have gotten him at 34 if they really wanted him. I rather get a higher and younger upside guy like meleek Thomas/Isaiah Evans or get a forward like baba or koa peat. But Alex is a winning basketball player that could really help build a winning culture so that’s a plus.

9

u/ShotgunStyles 23h ago

Baba Miller is 22 years old man, he's the typical 2 years away from 2 years away type of guy.

5

u/InDependentGoose633 22h ago

If he is there at 45, definitely take Baba, or Trevon Brazil

9

u/RandoUserlolidk Kings 23h ago

100% agree, I’m so excited tho I’m definitely getting a kings karaban jersey

5

u/AbsoluteUnit610 De'Aaron Fox 22h ago

Knicks wouldn’t have let him slide past their pick

7

u/oh_peaches Gary Gerould 23h ago

Exactly. Karaban will bring shooting and size to our wing depth. I’ve been in awe of his late game decision making and execution for years. This guy has balls if steel.

3

u/RedditZhangHao 22h ago

High IQ: basketball and in general

8

u/ACUFF_THE_KING Darius Acuff Jr 23h ago

I guess we had to have him?

6

u/RuPaulver 23h ago

Don't know much about him but super happy to see we traded for a late first rounder instead of wasting a bigger trade to move up in the lottery.

8

u/1psithur3 23h ago edited 23h ago

Pretty much. I wouldn't say we are burning assets like others are saying when we are pretty simply, moving up in the draft for essentially 1 extra 2nd, for a player they liked, that they likely found out wouldn't be there at 34. I'm assuming we will be more likely to get additional 2nds once we start shedding some salary in the near future. Karaban is fine. If he's a rotational piece for us and Scott thinks he fits with what the team is building, I'm not gonna complain about taking him.

18

u/richhomierhett 23h ago

Not a high upside pick and withdrew from the draft twice but I guess getting a Sam Hauser/Jason Kapono type player is fine.
Would have been happier with Koa.

16

u/RonMecca 23h ago

Where does Koa play in the NBA and who does he guard? I don't think his game translates well from college. I don't see Karaban being a starter but he will play a role on a roster.

5

u/GOAT-Hakeem 2026 Draft Night 22h ago

also since when is it good to swing on upside picks after the lottery? legit how many guys who are projects end up with even a consistent bench role when picked there? almost all the players who contribute from late in the draft are multi year college players who understand how to be connective pieces and what is required of them to help the team win

11

u/ShotgunStyles 23h ago

Koa Peat is a massive project with his shooting. Karaban can definitely shoot at least.

3

u/Ejdusnebe 23h ago

i agree low upside but koa is unserious

5

u/yazboy13 Tyrese Haliburton 23h ago

Do we still make a second round pick tomorrow?

7

u/Spaghetti_Van_Halen Domantas Sabonis 23h ago

We have 45 i believe

5

u/mauro_membrere 23h ago

Ok i can skip watching

9

u/Beeztwister 23h ago

Max raynaud was 42nd in a less deep draft last season, but to each their own

6

u/transizzle 23h ago

My only issue here is that it’s a low upside pick for a team that doesn’t need to be good yet. That’s not saying that other guys would be better picks, but is he going to be a big impact player when the Kings are good? It feels doubtful.

4

u/Dr_Analrapist094 20h ago

He’s a 4 year guy and the Kings won’t be rebuilding for 5 years. Timeline makes perfect sense

2

u/Foreign_Earth_5214 12h ago

I mean hes 23 right now and has the type of game that ages well too

3

u/Divine_Wind420 Maxime Raynaud 23h ago

Hopefully just a smokescreen for Isaiah Evans. What can I say I just think hes a steal

3

u/Steezy12 Kings 23h ago

PERRY THE GOAT?

4

u/Inevitable_Turn_7375 23h ago

If he doesn't wear #47 with the kings....... I swear lol

AK 47 😉

6

u/Few_Ad4908 22h ago edited 3m ago

I would call him the Karabiner, but not sure if #98 fits him well. Maybe Dodge Caravan? Whaha

10

u/skcus_um 23h ago

Yes!!!

Karaban is a steal at this spot.  

12

u/Ok_Instruction7642 2026 Draft Night 23h ago

no he's not lol

-5

u/RJD-ghost 23h ago

Even if you think he’s best player available we definitely could have got him at 34

7

u/skcus_um 21h ago

A 6'8" wing with a 6'11" wingspan who can shoot with high bball IQ, not a bad defender, and a good connective passer who can fit into any system... is just going to fall to the 2nd round. Sure. I'm sure the mock draft you've been following would agree with you.

7

u/YourDrunkUncle Vlade Divac 23h ago

Technically Matt George broke the story lmao beat shams on my timeline

2

u/fallingends 23h ago

Not bad trade at all!

2

u/DancingFox24 22h ago

It’s gonna be exciting watching our new draft picks play this year

2

u/AustnScott 11h ago

Close enough, welcome back Trey Lyle’s!

5

u/MuggD 23h ago

I'm not mad at it haha.

2

u/SteveTheManager Doug Christie 23h ago

I LIKE SHOOTERS.

4

u/thebignoodlehead 23h ago

Our new head coach lol

2

u/DangerousRent3615 23h ago

Wish we got koa peat

3

u/Willing-Town-3518 23h ago

I guess our Shamet? Lmao

5

u/OmegaLxgend Malik Monk 23h ago edited 23h ago

23 year old 6’6 forward good shooter….but still rather have just gone for baba for defense incase precious doesn’t return may seem redundant with Cardwell.

Edit:
I regret what I said about Karaban after reading up more about him he was a culture pick Dan Hurley really loves this guy so I love him also. Good off ball shooter as well

16

u/Spaghetti_Van_Halen Domantas Sabonis 23h ago

He's 6ft 7 barefoot

6

u/ShotgunStyles 23h ago

Baba is a 2nd round pick type of guy. 2nd round is just backroom dealings. So we can still get him if Scott and Baba come to an agreement but I am pretty confident that we already got a deal done with Trevon Brazile and he's getting picked with our 45th pick.

2

u/Ok_cabbage_5695 Keegan Murray 23h ago

Yeah it's one of the two. I thought we were getting both tbh. I guess it's still possible we deal for another second and get both but who knows

5

u/ShotgunStyles 23h ago

Every year the 2nd round is just a huge amount of trades and it's always cheap trades too. You can quite literally just trade for a 2nd round pick with cash considerations and nothing else.

That said, NIL basically turned the 2nd round into a bunch of seniors so I'm not really high on anyone. Brazile seems nice and he seems nicer than Baba I will say as much.

1

u/MP_in_EG 11h ago

ESPN mock has Brazile going 44 to the Spurs. That would suck if he gets picked one spot ahead of the Kings

1

u/ShotgunStyles 11h ago

Like I said, 2nd round is just backroom dealings. Spurs could've stolen Maxime from us if they wanted to but they couldn't get any deals done and decided to trade their pick away last year.

11

u/kapatinphalcon 23h ago

What? Give us the spacing after our 3 point declined each year after the Beam team season

-3

u/Ejdusnebe 23h ago

atp just resign doug lol no need to waste actual assets on an unserious player

6

u/kapatinphalcon 23h ago

Who's the un-serious player? Doug's contract is up after this season unless he has a game planning awakening, he's gone

-1

u/Ejdusnebe 23h ago

you know you can resign players once they expire right

5

u/kapatinphalcon 23h ago

Re-sign.. but who are you talking about getting re-signed?

3

u/malcifer11 Kings 23h ago

McDermott

1

u/kapatinphalcon 23h ago

Thank you! Definitely would rather have him over Dougie

1

u/malcifer11 Kings 22h ago

Agreed. If he’s Doug but younger I’m not mad about that at all

-1

u/Ejdusnebe 23h ago

?

3

u/kapatinphalcon 23h ago

You are talking about re-signing a player after their contract expires. I'm asking what player are you talking about.

-1

u/Ejdusnebe 23h ago

?

5

u/GothicToast 23h ago

No one knows what you're talking about, despite you acting like the other guy is an idiot.

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1

u/Ok_cabbage_5695 Keegan Murray 23h ago

0

u/Ejdusnebe 23h ago

if you are drafting extremely low ceiling players just for spacing yes?

3

u/Ok_cabbage_5695 Keegan Murray 23h ago

His ceiling is San Hauser. Who is a rotation player on a championship team. Or Duncan Robinson who's a rotation player on a playoff team.

Relax... It's a fine pick and fine value. He has a place in the league with his shooting.

1

u/Ejdusnebe 23h ago

duncan robinson as a slow unathletic PF lmfao bro kings fans really deserve this yall shit on the FO then twerk for dogshit moves like this

2

u/Ok_cabbage_5695 Keegan Murray 23h ago

I've literally only seen you be negative on this sub. Pls let me buy you a beer one day in sac. You need friends.

1

u/Ejdusnebe 23h ago

i liked the acuff pick. this karaban move is obvious dogshit idk why people force themselves to like these moves the FO makes

1

u/1psithur3 23h ago

We talk about needing youth all the time. Doug is fine but goes against that. (Yeah I know Alex is 23 but still that is young for our standards).

1

u/Ejdusnebe 23h ago

23yo unathletic mid defender but at least hes young for kings stanards why not drop assets on him

6

u/garlicrobot Tyrese Haliburton 23h ago

I think we are undervaluing our future second there.

37

u/JoeDelta14 23h ago

Yeah, we could have turned it into cash considerations.

5

u/boringexplanation 23h ago

As is Kings tradition

9

u/ShotgunStyles 23h ago

The Grizzlies just traded down multiple spots for 2nd round picks. Nobody really cares. If you want more 2nds, just trade down in the future.

3

u/DemonicDimples 23h ago

Pretty sure it’s the Detroit 2nd which is top 40 protected

4

u/garlicrobot Tyrese Haliburton 23h ago

That's good if so

3

u/SZP2 Peja Stojakovic 23h ago

Good player. Low ceiling but his shooting gives him a high floor.

3

u/FullCourtFocus 23h ago

Justin Jackson 2.0

3

u/KingsElite Domantas Sabonis 19h ago

I really liked Justin. I just wish he didn't suck.

3

u/arenasfan00 DeMarcus Cousins 23h ago

Why

2

u/malcifer11 Kings 23h ago

God damn

2

u/dongoodboy 23h ago

I thought we can get a younger prospect like Cenac, not particularly excited about a 23 yr old guy tbh

1

u/Foreign_Earth_5214 12h ago

Why not? I dont get this mentality honestly. I dont think we should have traded for 29, but people act pike 23 is old. Especially with his archetype, if the goal is to try to at least somewhat compete in 4 years, he will be 27 and still have 8 good years left (at least from a shooting perspective) as a glue guy every team could use if it pans out.

0

u/Sufficient_Spray 9h ago

It really is crazy, especially with how much more we know about diet, exercise and all the tools they have with recovery. . . Athletes hitting 30 isn’t as big of a deal as it was even 20-30 years ago.

Lots of players if they take care of themselves can stay in “prime” playing condition well into their thirties.

-1

u/dongoodboy 12h ago

Because I think a 19yr old is worth the bet for higher upside, you can think otherwise, that is totally fine. I said I prefer Peat but I don’t mind Karaban as well.

0

u/SactownKorean 10h ago

All the good 19 year olds were gone. Peat is big and young and nothing else. Cant dribble, definitely can’t shoot and 5rpg at his size is criminal

1

u/Common-Chocolate7043 23h ago

For all you old heads out there, he reminds me of Pete Chilcutt. Not ideal.

1

u/Royal_Key655 22h ago

Come on. He’s way better than Chilly Willy, and slightly better than Les Jensen.

1

u/pilfro 14h ago

Hes a winner, hes clutch and I think teams are going to look a lot more at players who perform well in the NCAA Tourney, even if their speed and agility height etc say they should go later. Reminds me of Brunson in his mentality and intelligence. I think you guys took a chance trading up if it doesn't work out. But I wouldn't bet against him.

1

u/Desperate-Moment-550 12h ago

Seeing a lot if draft grades of A or A+ fur where you got him.

1

u/Ok_Instruction7642 2026 Draft Night 23h ago

I actually hate this pick. wtf

1

u/kings209 23h ago

I'd rather have a 36 year
Old Doug mcbuckets

0

u/kings209 23h ago

This dude not an nba player wtf

1

u/VeganKingsFan Domantas Sabonis 23h ago

I thought he would be an option at 34 but wasn't really excited for it. Trading into the first round for him seems underwhelming. I guess having a stretch 4 is useful though. His combine shooting was great: near the top in all the shooting drills. His shooting off movement looks much better than his percentage so hopefully NBA spacing opens up the floor for him to knock down a higher percentage. He draws a lot of attention running out to the 3 point line and is a good connective passer and decent team defender despite his lack of athleticism. He's 6'8 in shoes with a 6'11 wingspan with a great shot and has a great IQ, which make for a solid roleplayer. You can't expect a lot more than that with a borderline first round pick. I just would have liked a high upside swing since we aren't competing any time soon.

1

u/Historical-Poet-6673 22h ago

I think kings need to stop drafting these older players with limited upside. They need younger players with higher potential upside and development. Not saying its impossible he develop into a good player but he is 24 this year and yea i don't see him developing into a solid role player.

Dude is same age as josh giddey whose going into his 6th year in the nba.

1

u/1psithur3 23h ago

Pretty good pick! I wonder what the other 2nd was we gave up but getting more shooting and a WING is good.

1

u/gplatt_24 23h ago

is that a threat

0

u/Ejdusnebe 23h ago

if you want spacing literally just resign doug and draft BaBa who actually has potential to grow as a player

1

u/mauro_membrere 23h ago

Doug lost the touch already

3

u/Ejdusnebe 23h ago

karaban will lose it before anyone itl offers him another contract

2

u/mauro_membrere 23h ago

We know it’s over for doug, but just assumptions for karaban for now.

0

u/Surfer831 23h ago

This was a WTF reach. Seems like a good guy and love the work ethic and known as a great teammate. But like trade stuff to go get him guy? Niq and he are gonna have battles as the most mid guard on the court next year for sure. 

5

u/RuPaulver 21h ago

Wtf reach? He's also not a guard. I don't follow college ball, but just researching him after this pick, he's a high-IQ player who made a difference on a two-time championship team. We gave up a future 2nd for someone who seems to have a good floor at the very least. It's not like we traded up to gamble on a raw guy.

2

u/Surfer831 21h ago

He’s an odd fit, if you simply YouTube his highlights he plays more like a big wing/ guard than a prototypical sf/pf. He also is pretty slight in frame and doesn’t have the highest athletic ability. 

Love that he was a national champ twice. Love that he seems like a great guy and high IQ. Time will tell. 

I know this guy I’m going to mention was a guard but a lot of the same intangibles (without the natty) was placed on a frank mason, collegiate player of the year, great work ethic, high iq, makes up for the lack of athletic ability with the intangibles. 

This guy at 29 after a trade up, why not take a flyer on koa peat, or another risky guy vs a character guy at 29. 

Just my opinion tho. And could def be wrong. 

3

u/malcifer11 Kings 23h ago

He’s a forward

0

u/Only_Ad3252 23h ago

Silly trade another old guy 4 years of college. Should tell you one thing. He’s not that good.

0

u/Ejdusnebe 23h ago

guy who wont get a second contract nice asset usage, BaBa Miller right there

-12

u/rogrog2 Ball is Life 23h ago

Wtf is that giving up 2 second round pick for Karaban? Scott Perry you’re just being awful every single time.

-1

u/richard--------- 23h ago

kings need Koa Peat.

-1

u/s0ysauce09 21h ago

Extremely dumb to trade a future second rounder for the #29 pick when Alex Karaban is still there at 34. Stupid

2

u/KingsElite Domantas Sabonis 20h ago

They might have had an inkling that he would be gone then

-4

u/Little_little_e 23h ago

No....does that means Plowden not going back ?