Kings hold No. 5 odds

The Sacramento Kings go into the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery with the fifth-best odds after losing a tiebreaker to the Utah Jazz. (nba.com) The NBA said April 20 that Utah won the random drawing between the two 22-60 teams, giving the Jazz the No. 4 lottery slot and Sacramento the No. 5 slot. (nba.com) That leaves the Kings with an 11.5% chance at the No. 1 pick heading into the lottery on Sunday, May 10, which the league said will air on ABC at 3 p.m. Eastern. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The lottery only decides the first four picks. Teams that do not jump into that group are slotted from No. 5 through No. 14 in reverse order of regular-season record. (nba.com) For Sacramento, that means the team can still move up into the top four, stay at No. 5, or slide as far as No. 9 depending on the ping-pong-ball results. (nba.com) (tankathon.com) The Kings’ position became official after the regular season ended and the league settled six draft-order ties in Secaucus, New Jersey, under the supervision of Ernst & Young partner Megan DeCesaris. (nba.com) Sacramento’s odds now match Utah’s at 11.5%, trailing Washington, Indiana and Brooklyn, which each hold the maximum 14.0% chance at No. 1. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The franchise’s last No. 1 overall pick came in 1989, when Sacramento selected Pervis Ellison out of Louisville. Basketball-Reference lists Ellison as the first pick in that draft and his only Kings season as 1989-90. (basketball-reference.com 1) (basketball-reference.com 2) The next key dates come quickly after the lottery. The NBA has the draft combine running in Chicago from May 10 through May 17, then the first round of the draft on June 23 and the second round on June 24. (nba.com) (nba.com) So the Kings’ draft board is partly set and partly waiting on one afternoon in Chicago. On May 10, Sacramento will find out whether No. 5 odds turn into a top-four jump. (nba.com) (nba.com)