Former Sacramento Kings general manager Vlade Divac recently explained why he chose not to draft Luka Doncic in the 2018 NBA Draft. At the time, the Kings held the second overall pick, giving them significant influence on the draft after the Phoenix Suns were expected to take Deandre Ayton with the top pick. Despite Luka being widely considered the second-best prospect, Sacramento opted for Marvin Bagley instead.
Though Bagley was a skilled player from Duke, he lacked the high potential and recognition that Luka had. Luka ended up going third overall and was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, ultimately becoming the standout player from that draft class. In hindsight, many view the Suns and Kings passing on Luka as major missteps.
The Suns, who reached the NBA Finals in recent years, are in a strong position with Devin Booker. Meanwhile, the Kings have struggled, making the playoffs just once in the last six years and recently ending a 16-year playoff drought. This makes Sacramento’s decision to pass on Luka even more perplexing.
In an interview, Divac explained that his choice was influenced by the presence of De’Aaron Fox on the roster, who had been selected in the top 5 of the previous year’s draft.
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Vlade Divac can’t be 100 percent blamed for the decision
In hindsight, the decision may seem like a mistake, but it’s hard to place all the blame on Divac. The Kings had just drafted a promising point guard in De’Aaron Fox, and adding another one at the time didn’t seem like a logical move. While today the Kings would likely trade Fox for Luka Doncic without hesitation, back then, there was no certainty Luka would develop into the superstar he is today.
Luka showed potential, but there was no guarantee he’d become this great so quickly. Although Divac and the Kings shouldn’t shoulder all the blame for the decision, it remains one of the biggest “what ifs” in recent NBA history.