Jared McCain ‘definitely’ thought the Kings would pick him in NBA Draft

Aug 30, 2024, 7:51 AM

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 26: Jared McCain (R) shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver (L) a...

(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Lead Editor & Kings Beat Writer

In the weeks leading into June’s 2024 NBA Draft, it seemed as if Duke product Jared McCain would make sense as the 13th overall pick for the Sacramento Kings.

Not only was high-scoring Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Malik Monk’s future uncertain as the guard neared free agency, but the soon-to-be rookie McCain was born in Sacramento in 2000, providing the Kings with an opportunity to fill the scoring void with a hometown product.

When the time arrived for Sacramento to make the 13th pick, the ended up selecting a guard after all–but it wasn’t McCain. Instead, the Kings drafted versatile guard Devin Carter, a move that made sense following Monk’s decision to re-sign just days before the draft.

Instead of adding a high-scoring guard like McCain, who averaged 14.3 points per game at Duke in 2023-24, Sacramento went with Carter’s high-rebounding tendencies and high upside as a defender. Still, the move left McCain a tad surprised that his name wasn’t called at 13th.

More on Jared McCain

“Definitely. I definitely did think I was going there,” McCain said of Sacramento on Paul George’s ‘Podcast P’ this week. “I did one one-on-[zero] workout; that was my only one. It was my last workout–it wasn’t my best workout, maybe that’s why.”

Rather than join the Kings, the 20-year-old was selected a few picks later by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 16th selection in the draft.

McCain could join a seemingly growing list of players that place a chip on their shoulder after being passed up by Sacramento, with talents like CJ McCollum and Klay Thompson often pointing to the fact that the Kings chose to skip them during their respective NBA Draft days.

We’ll see how the future unfolds, but if this trend holds true, something tells me that this isn’t the last time we’ll hear McCain mention Sacramento when reflecting on his NBA Draft process.

When is the next Sacramento Kings offseason date of interest?

Now that we know when the Kings will suit up for their season-opener, we can look forward to October 24th for the Beam Team’s season-opening matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Training camps will begin at the end of September, meaning there could still be a move or two up general manager Monte McNair’s sleeve to round out Sacramento’s roster before players report to Golden 1 Center.

Be sure to stay locked into Sactown Sports for all of your Sacramento Kings news on player signings, trades, game recaps, and more for the upcoming season.