Kings drop to No. 5

Sacramento lost the National Basketball Association draft tiebreaker with Utah on April 20, dropping the Kings to No. 5 in the pre-lottery order. (nba.com) The Kings and Jazz both finished 22-60, so the league used a random drawing at its Secaucus, New Jersey, office to decide which team would sit fourth and which would sit fifth. Utah won that draw, with NBA president of league operations Byron Spruell overseeing the process and Ernst & Young partner Megan DeCesaris supervising it. (nba.com) The immediate change is in draft position, not in the top-line lottery odds. Sacramento and Utah each hold an 11.5% chance at the No. 1 pick and a 45.2% chance at a top-four pick because tied teams split the standard odds for those slots. (nba.com) (nbcsportsbayarea.com) The difference shows up if neither team jumps into the top four on lottery night. In that case, Utah picks first at No. 4 and Sacramento follows at No. 5. (nbcsportsbayarea.com) That also changes how far the Kings can slide. CBS Sports reported Sacramento can now fall as low as No. 9, with assigned outcomes of 2.0% for No. 5, 18.2% for No. 6, 25.5% for No. 7, 8.5% for No. 8, and 0.6% for No. 9. (cbssports.com) The path to the tie was narrow at the end of the season. CBS Sports reported Sacramento won three of its final 10 games, while Utah lost nine of its final 10, and the Kings missed a chance to lock up the fourth slot outright when they beat Golden State in their second-to-last game. (cbssports.com) The calendar now is set. The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery is scheduled for Sunday, May 10, on ABC at 3 p.m. Eastern, with the first round of the draft on June 23 and the second round on June 24. (nba.com) For Sacramento, the result leaves the franchise one line lower on the board until the ping-pong balls are drawn on May 10. (nba.com)