Latest mock draft has Kings landing franchise-altering star in 2026

The Sacramento Kings have had an abysmal 2025-26 season. 

Despite several teams appearing to be actively TRYING to lose, the Kings are still in dead-last with the worst winning percentage in the league. The Kings have lost 14 games in a row and now are tied for the best odds to land the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft. 

The 2026 first-round pick is the one thing the Kings have to look forward to. This draft class is loaded with talent at the top, and the Kings have the potential to land a franchise-altering star. 

Of course, the NBA draft is unpredictable. The Kings have only landed the No. 1 pick once, all the way back in 1989. Could this be the year the Kings finally get lucky and land a true franchise star?

Fran Leiva of Fadeaway World recently published an updated mock that indeed has the Kings landing the top pick. Darryn Peterson, A.J. Dybantsa, and Cameron Boozer are all considered to be in the running to be the top pick, and any of those three could fit in perfectly in Sacramento. 

Leiva has the team going with Peterson. Peterson is starring for the Kansas Jayhawks this season and is averaging 20.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 48.9% from the field. 

Regarding Peterson and the Kings, Leiva offered the following: 

Darryn Peterson fits the cleanest top-pick mold in this class: a big guard who can score off the dribble and punish teams from deep. Even with a stop-start season, the numbers are still loud: 20.5 points on 48.9% shooting, plus real defensive activity (1.3 steals). The part NBA teams care about most is how his scoring translates. He does not need a perfect setup to get a good shot. He can create separation, get into pull-ups, and convert tough looks without the possession dying. That is the exact skill that changes what a bad team looks like, because it gives you a late-clock plan every night.

As Leiva mentioned, Peterson feels like a safe top pick and packs the scoring punch that could turn a franchise around. 

The Kings could be especially intrigued by Peterson due to the fact that he's a guard. The team had two star guards, Tyrese Haliburton and De'Aaron Fox, who were traded away. The Kings could look at drafting Peterson as a do-over of sorts. 

There's probably no team who needs an overhaul at the guard spots more than the Kings. None of Russell Westbrook, Zach LaVine, or Malik Monk are long-term answers, and Devin Carter has shown flashes, but is far from a sure thing. 

At the end of the day, the Kings finally securing the top pick would be a huge win. Whether it's Peterson, Dybantsa, or Boozer, the team would at least finally have a piece to get excited about again.