NBA Draft: 5 destinations for Brandon Ingram

The Sacramento Kings are a more talented team than their 27-43 record through 70 games indicates. They’ll probably have a new coach instead of George Karl next year and have great players on their roster like center DeMarcus Cousins, point guard Rajon Rondo, and small forward Rudy Gay.

Sacramento will play in brand new Golden 1 Center in Downtown Sacramento in 2016-17 and owner Vivek Ranadive plans on having a highly competitive team when the Kings break in their new arena. While Sacramento could part ways with Gay at small forward, if the Kings want a more longterm solution at the three, they should draft Ingram assuming he’s available.

The Kings will have to luck out in the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery to get either the No. 1 or No. 2 pick. Sacramento would pick seventh based strictly on record entering play Tuesday. What Ingram could provide the Kings is a different type of small forward to build their team around. He could be a defensive as well as a point forward offensively.

What his arrival in Northern California would mean to the Kings would signify possibly the end of futility on the hardwood. Cousins wouldn’t have to carry the immense burden of being the team’s lone star. They could present an interesting corps to hopefully attract a high-end head coach to get the Kings back into the Western Conference Playoffs for the first time in over a decade.

Sacramento may still be bad in 2016, but one has to believe that they aren’t that far away from sniffing at the playoffs, especially if they miraculously get Ingram to pair alongside Cousins for the next few years.

Next: 3. Philadelphia 76ers