In full transparency, I've never met a Sacramento Kings fan. I'm sure they exist, I've seen them on TV and at games, but rarely do they make an appearance on social media, and seeing them "in the wild" in public would be like a Bigfoot sighting.
If I were a fan of such a historically woeful franchise, I likely wouldn't wear hats and jerseys out in public, either.
Monday's NBA Draft Lottery just cements what these allegedly-real fans have known for a long time: the Kings will never get a break.
Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis
Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
The Kings entered the draft lottery with just a 3.8 percent chance of their pick landing in the top four and thus conveying. Otherwise, they would owe it to the Atlanta Hawks as a result of the 2022 trade that landed them Kevin Huerter.
Huerter averaged 11.7 points during his Kings' tenure, but was not worth a first-round pick. While the Kings head towards another mediocre offseason, the rich continue to get richer, highlighting the Kings' spot in NBA purgatory.
The Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, and Charlotte Hornets will pick first, second, third, and fourth. With the exception of the Hornets, all of those teams have a true franchise player on their roster. Teams like the Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, Brooklyn Nets, and New Orleans Pelicans will likely miss a chance to draft a sure-thing despite tanking all season.
Sacramento, meanwhile, made the play-in tournament this past season, but that's about as far as their current roster can take them. Without a high-end young talent, their roster is salvageable.
Luckily, fans have developed unmatched patience.
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