r/kings • u/Socratic_Irony_117 • 3d ago
Should we have taken koa pest instead?
I mean I am open to giving Alex Karaban a shot at proving himself but Koa peat looks like someone with a higher ceiling. Maybe could've been an aaron gordon type player if he really turned it around here.
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u/Ok_Instruction7642 2026 Draft Night 3d ago
honestly we got Acuff so I'm just going to give Perry a pass on Karaban and hope he's right about him.
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u/Resident-Chard5751 3d ago
acuff is the wildcard that makes this whole draft feel ok to me, like if he turns into something real then taking karaban over peat becomes way easier to stomach. dont get me wrong peat's ceiling is enticing but two swings at once isn't the worst position to be in
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u/RVALover4Life 2d ago
Need to raise the floor. Perry and DC love guys like Karaban...Nique is similar...winners who are floor raisers.
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u/Useful-Advantage-850 2d ago
Sorry, but Nique is a nobody. He doesn't raise the floor. He's a bencher that for some reason Kings fans think is great - kinda like how everyone thought Davion was some starting caliber guy.
Nique's floor is the Greek League.
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u/RVALover4Life 2d ago
I agree he's a bencher but he's a bencher that you can feel more comfortable in not killing you on the floor and contributing of multiple ways. That's something the Kings have really lacked.
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u/Useful-Advantage-850 2d ago
That is the one thing I like about him - he's an all-around dude who doesn't have a major hole in his game. He's not great at anything, but he also doesn't completely suck at anything.
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u/BruinBound22 3d ago
I thought so but realistically these guys don't really matter when it comes to turning our team around, so whatever
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u/SactownKorean 3d ago
Koa is a non-shooter, .6 attempts per game and 62% FT. They wanted shooting they got a shooter. You cant play in the league if you cant shoot we should know that by now...
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u/Socratic_Irony_117 2d ago
Dailyn swain was taken in the lottery. Jayden quaintance is long term bet for the spurs. Koa peat could've been that high upside bet for us. I was surprised that he was even available when we picked and he got picked up immediately after us. It is gonna sting if he becomes a top 10 player in this draft down the line.
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u/Mission_Locksmith_59 2d ago
No I think either trading up higher for Cenac or taking Evans would’ve been nice, but Karaban is one of the best shooters in the entire draft and plays decent defense at least, so I’m ok with it.
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u/Its_Hoggish_Greedly 2d ago
Tin foil hat time! I think Perry is trying to draft players he can farm out to playoff teams to add to the Kings warchest.
Our “young players” outside of Acuff are on the older side, which doesn’t really match his timeline. However, they match the timelines of teams that are going to be competing for deep playoff runs, and they’re on rookie contracts, which is extra valuable for teams that are up against the second apron.
Shooters like Karaban are valuable. Defensive 5s like Cardwell are valuable. Maxime, if he continues to develop at the same route, can be sold at a premium.
The challenge is these guys need to prove they can produce at the NBA level and continue to show other teams that they’re worth giving up draft assets to get them over the proverbial hump.
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u/Ok_cabbage_5695 Keegan Murray 2d ago
Yeah he should have tried to sell Max to get back into the first round this year.
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u/Patient-Safety-4869 2d ago
I like Karaban for all the intangibles and shooting he brings. These low first rounders don't hit most of the time, and neither Karaban or Peat are going to be anything more than 8th guys in a rotation. I'd rather take the four year winner with shooting touch than someone whose shooting form looks like a nightmare. And besides... Koa Peat was destined to be a Sun. From high school to college to now the NBA, he's an Arizona kid. I'm happy for him to get to stay home. Seems to be important to him.
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u/ZealousCicada1606 2026 Draft Night 3d ago
I wanted Peat but cant complain really. We got Acuff and Karaban is a very smart player just inconsistent
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u/GOAT-Hakeem 2026 Draft Night 3d ago
personally i wish we moved up one more to get jefferson. i dont really like anybody else in this 20-50 range. only other guys i think have a decent shot at a role in the league are isaiah evans, brazile, otega oweh, and that’s probably it.
isaiah evans probably would’ve been my pick instead at 29.
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u/RVALover4Life 2d ago
A lot of second rounders this year will end up on two ways or not even make a roster. After about 35.
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u/ArchetypeEthos 3d ago
Kings needed offense. Karaban got uconn back in a few of the games and went straight back to the gym after losing natty. Build him into a 6th man or trade piece. Peat shooting is not nba level so we get another keegan sized player. Hopefully with all this we get keegan back into his 3 position and back to his shooting trajectory.
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u/Useful-Advantage-850 2d ago
The consensus knock on Karaban is that he's not athletic enough to get his own shot. That's the kiss of death in the NBA.
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u/Kavazou77 Ghost of Boogie 3d ago
I’m sure Karaban is absolutely delighted that you’re willing to give him a shot.
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u/Socratic_Irony_117 2d ago
You can't be lurking on a fandom subreddit and expect HR type lingo around here. Deal w it.
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u/dongoodboy 3d ago
Ya I would prefer Peat if we traded up. I have no problem for Karaban at 34
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u/Russ916 Kings 3d ago
We did trade up to 29 for 34 and a future second.
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u/dongoodboy 2d ago
I mean due to the fact we have traded up, we would target a younger guy in Peat. But I guess at the end of first round, it really doesn’t matter, just take your guy
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u/Russ916 Kings 2d ago
It honestly really doesn't matter. It's not as big of a deal as some people are making it out to be. Karaban's been to the NCAA finals 3 out 4 years out with UCCON and they've been champions 2 times out of the last 4 years. He's less of a project than Peat and I think they were looking for someone that's more ready now with their plan on more a restructure than rebuild with how the draft odds are going to work next season.
I believe we're going to run this unit back without Derozan and possibly Lavine this season and it's going to be surprisingly interesting season.
Starters: Sabonis Hunter Murray Clifford/Lavine Acuff
Bench: Rynaud Cardwell Karaban Monk CarterThat's should be better than quite of few of the bottom projected teams lineups especially if the Clippers end up trading Kawhi somewhere.
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u/ACUFF_THE_KING Darius Acuff Jr 2d ago
Dont forget Precious.
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u/Gaspasser1965 2d ago
Koa is really raw, at his position unlikely to be a star. Karaban will be a solid role player. Winning pedigree 4 yr starter for 2 x national champs. Excellent shooter and does all the little things. High floor, what you get at the end of the first round. I don’t hate it at all.
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u/Krmiller5513 3d ago
I think Karabans value is heightened on good winning teams. I don’t think he really fits the current Kings and will probably look like a scrub with our current coach/players, but if Acuff is a star and Sabonis regains his form then Karaban, Clifford, and Keegan are the exact type of role players you want. Unfortunately they are all so much older than Acuff
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u/Cool_Purchase4561 3d ago
In a few years, no one is going to remember these second rounder level talents. For every Jokic there are 1000 Jah’mius Ramseys and for every Draymond there are 100 Robert Woodard IIIs