This is how it went down for the Kings when they drafted Nik Stauskas.
This year’s 2014 NBA Draft was a zoo for the fans, with many deals projected to be in the works and draft picks predicted, but inside the board room leading up that night is even crazier. Grantland takes us inside the Sacramento Kings organization to show footage of what it was like for their team, awaiting to see if they’d get their guy.
After several presentations and arguments as to whether Nik Stauskas or Elfrid Payton Jr. fit better for their squad, the Kings still had a decision to make the day of. You can see GM Pete D’Alessandro was trying to deal with the Sixers to maybe grab Joel Embiid at #3, but ultimately those talks fell through.
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After much thought, owner Vivek Ranadivé and the crew decided with Stauskas as their guy, because he’s a great shooter that can create his own attempts.
Once the draft started, they all watched the chips fall in their favor, leading up to the eighth pick, which happened to be the guy they wanted all along. Even former NBA stars Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin seemed to have liked who they went with and Nick was just as excited to be added to the squad, as everyone gave him a welcome “Nick Rocks!” chant after being drafted.
The Western Conference is stacked, but the Kings might make a run next year.
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