SACRAMENTO, Calif — The Sacramento Kings chose Olivier-Maxence Prosper as the 24th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, but don't expect to see him play at Golden 1 Center this coming season.
Ultimately the Kings chose to trade Richaun Holmes and their 24th pick, Prosper, to the Dallas Mavericks. It frees up the team's cap space ahead of free agency, which starts next Friday.
The Kings received the 24th pick in the draft after a record-breaking season that saw them make the postseason for the first time in 16 years.
The Kings went 48-34 in the season before a loss to then-NBA Champions the Golden State Warriors after a full seven-game series in the first round of the playoffs.
ABC10's Matt George says history shows you can still get a quality player with a 24th pick.
For example, the 24th overall pick in the 1990s produced a fair amount of talent like longtime Los Angeles Lakers point guard Derek Fisher, who was a Kings killer in his day and part of the bitter Kings-Lakers rivalry in the early 2000s.
Rick Fox, the man who current Kings assistant coach Doug Christie famously uppercut during a preseason game, was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1991.
In 2006, Kyle Lowry, who was the starting point guard for the Miami Heat in this year's NBA finals, was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies. In 2008, feared shot-blocker and 2019 NBA champion Serge Ibaka was drafted at the 24th spot.
