After how this past season ended, there were many North Carolina fans who were hoping that freshman phenom Caleb Wilson would return to school for at least one more year. Unfortunately for UNC, his NBA Draft stock was simply too good for him to pass up a huge opportunity at massive, life-changing money. It is why Wilson took to Instagram on Friday to announce that he will be turning pro.
As far as this potentially being a difficult decision for him, it was really an easy choice. Whether it be Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, or USA TODAY Sports, they all have mock drafts of him going No. 4 overall to the Sacramento Kings. This was reflected as well over on NBADraft.net and Tankathon, too. The 6-foot-10 freshman averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game last season.
Wilson may have missed the NCAA Tournament with a broken thumb, but this should not deter the rebuilding Kings from taking the perceived best player available with their projected No. 4 overall selection. This is a team that is not yet ready to compete for the postseason. If Wilson is able to grow and learn on the fly in Sacramento, he could blossom into a star for the Kings before his third season.
The question is not if Wilson made the right decision to go pro, but if he is ready to go to Sacramento.
Caleb Wilson projected to go to the Sacramento Kings with the No. 4 pick
While the KANGZ! era of Kings basketball seems to be in the rearview mirror, do not tell the casual NBA fan that. Sacramento is every bit a small-market team, but one that is passionate about the one it has got. Anything and everything is put under a microscopic, given the size of the city the team plays in. Of course, the Athletics are keeping things slightly interesting before they go to Las Vegas...
Overall, Wilson is expected to be part of a strong NBA Draft class at the top of the lottery. While guys like BYU's AJ Dybantsa, Kansas' Darryn Peterson, and Duke's Cameron Boozer are all likely going ahead of him to teams like Brooklyn, Indiana, and Washington, nobody seems to be pivoting off the idea of Wilson in Sacramento just yet. Those three have been shuffled around a bit, but not Wilson...
Ultimately, the 2026 NBA Draft might actually start at No. 5 with presumably the Utah Jazz on the clock. Assuming Wilson comes off the board right before them at Sacramento at No. 4, it could be any number of guards rounding out the top five. Right now, look for Utah to select either Darius Acuff Jr. out of Arkansas, Kingston Flemings out of Houston, or Keaton Wagler out of Illinois with that pick.
For now, look for the oldest 19-year-old of the bunch to be making his way to Sacramento here soon.