Final NBA mock draft projections: Will Sacramento Kings keep No. 13 pick or make a trade?

One way or another, the Sacramento Kings are looking to improve their roster when the NBA draft gets underway Wednesday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The Kings have the 13^th pick in the first round and the No. 45 pick in Thursday’s second round. They are shopping their first-round pick in trade talks around the league in hopes of adding another key rotation piece to a core that features De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray and Malik Monk.

The Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs have the first four picks in the draft. Zaccharie Risacher, Alexandre Sarr, Reed Sheppard, Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan, Nikola Topic and Matas Buzelis are expected to be among the first players picked in a draft with no clear consensus.

The latest round of mock drafts have the Kings selecting a number of different players at No. 13 if they keep the pick. Here are the final projections with players listed by position, height, weight and age.

The Athletic

Ron Holland, G League Ignite

SF/PF | 6-7 ¾ | 197 | 18

Holland averaged 19.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.3 steals for G League Ignite. He shot 46% from the field but made just 24% from 3-point range on 3.3 attempts per game. He has good length with a 6-10 ¾ wingspan.

The Athletic writes: “Holland’s motor excites NBA teams the most. He constantly plays hard, getting the most out of his athleticism. His energy can sometimes cause him to be overaggressive and overly physical on defense, but amid the Ignite’s poor season, Holland showed a capacity for growth that impressed many scouts.”

The Ringer

Nikola Topic, Red Star

PG | 6-7 | 203 | 18

Topic averaged 14.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists for Red Star in the top tier of professional basketball in Serbia but shot just 30.6% from 3-point range. He suffered a partially torn ACL in May. There are a wide variety of opinions on Topic. Tankathon.com has him going to the Spurs at No. 4. Yahoo Sports has him going to the Orlando Magic at No. 18.

The Ringer writes: “The Kings already have De’Aaron Fox. But Topic’s size could allow him to share the backcourt with Fox in the years to come. Topic can attack downhill and is a willing playmaker who’d thrive in a multi-handler offense as long as his shot successfully develops.”

Tankathon.com

Tidjane Salaun, Cholet Basket

PF | 6-10 | 217 | 18

Salaun averaged 9.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals for Cholet Basket in the LNB Pro A, the top tier of pro basketball in France. He was named MVP of the 2023 Trophee du Futur tournament after putting up 17.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, but on the season he shot 40.6% from the field and 31.6% from 3-point range. Both of his parents played basketball and his sister plays for the EuroLeague Women. The Ringer describes Salaun as “incredibly raw” but he “plays hard as hell in a tough French league.”

NBADraftRoom.com

Robert Dillingham, Kentucky

PG | 6-2 | 164 | 19

Dillingham averaged 15.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.0 steals as a freshman at Kentucky. He shot 47.5% from the field and 44.4% from 3-point range on 4.5 attempts per game.

NBADraftRoom describes Dillingham as “a walking bucket at the PG position,” adding: “Dillingham can score off the bounce and from deep and has really improved as a passer. At just 164lbs he’s undersized for the pro game and will struggle defensively but he’s a dynamic player who changes the pace of the game when he’s on the court.”

NBADraft.net and Yahoo Sports

Ja’Kobe Walter, Baylor

SG | 6-5 ½ | 198 | 19

Walter has good size for a guard with an impressive 6-10 wingspan. He averaged 14.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals as a freshman at Baylor, but he shot 37.6% from the field and 34.1% from 3-point range.

Yahoo Sports writes: “Walter’s game translates better to the NBA than what scouts saw from him in college. He has good size at the guard position and elite shooting mechanics. With the spacing of the NBA game, it’ll free him more as a shooting threat with how well De’Aaron Fox plays with the ball in his hands.”