On Sunday, New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum blasted the Kings, but his biggest blow came afterward.
McCollum scored a game-high 30 points in the Pelicans' 133-130 win over the Kings on Sunday at Golden 1 Center, then revealed that Sacramento had assured him they would take him No. 7 overall in 2013.
"Yeah, Sacramento was supposed to draft me," McCollum stated postgame. "They had me come back for a second workout, actually told me they were going to take me at seven and didn't, so I enjoy playing here."
Sacramento drafted Kansas guard Ben McLemore with the No. 7 overall pick in 2013, passing on McCollum to the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 10.
McLemore played 312 games for Sacramento over five seasons, averaging nine points per game, but he never became as impactful as McCollum.
In contrast, McCollum became one of the league's most reliable scoring threats over the last decade, forming a strong backcourt with All-NBA guard Damian Lillard in Portland for nine seasons before being traded to New Orleans in February 2022.
From the outset of Sunday's triumph over the Kings, the sharpshooting guard hit 7-for-10 from the 3-point line, including five of his six 3-pointers in the first half. McCollum's spectacular effort included 11-for-16 shooting, seven rebounds, and four assists.
The Kings have constructed a great foundation with their "Beam Team," but it's easy to speculate how their fortunes might have altered if they had chosen McCollum over McLemore 10 years ago.
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