Ex-Kings GM Vlade Divac's shocking admission on not drafting Luka Doncic
09/21/2024 03:18 PM
The Sacramento Kings have mercifully returned to being a competent and competitive basketball franchise the last two seasons, but they are still seeking their first playoff series win since 2004. After signing DeMar DeRozan to a three-year, $73.7 million contract in free agency, the organization is entering a potential make-or-break 2024-25 campaign. One has to wonder if Sacramento would be in such a dilemma if it did things a bit differently at the 2018 NBA Draft.
Former Kings big man and general manager Vlade Divac was tasked with a major opportunity and responsibility when the team secured the No. 2 overall pick. The prospect pool was overflowing with promise, making it ostensibly difficult to bungle the decision. But in the futility-filled 2010s, it was extremely unwise to give the front office the benefit of the doubt.
Divac made what appeared to be a defensible choice at the time, selecting Duke center Marvin Bagley III. The Consensus All-American’s game did not translate exceptionally well to the NBA, however, as he averaged a solid but overall disappointing 13.5 points and 7.4 rebounds in three and a half years with the squad. Superstar point guard Luke Doncic, who led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season and is one of the favorites to win the MVP in 2024-25, was taken one pick later.
The addition of Bagley, whose NBA career has long been devastated by injuries, did little to help the team’s subpar standing in the Western Conference. Divac stepped down as GM in 2020. He is reflecting back on that defining moment to pass over Doncic.
“I already had De’Aaron Fox,” the 2001 All-Star said, via Basketball on X. “Time will tell if I was wrong. As things stand now, it seems I was, but I still have faith in Fox having a great career.”
Kings did not miss out on only Luka Doncic
Divac selected Fox with the No. 5 pick in the previous year’s draft, so it was reasonable for him to prioritize another position. Though, Doncic and fellow ball-dominant guard Kyrie Irving did not seem to have any trouble coexisting in the backcourt in the 2023-24 season. Maybe the Kings could have made it work, and if not, they still would have possessed a generational talent whom they could build around.
What makes matters worse is that Divac failed to grab any of the All-Stars or high-impact talents that comprised the lottery round besides Doncic. Jaren Jackson Jr., Trae Young, Mikal Bridges, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Miles Bridges and Michael Porter Jr. all came off the board after Marvin Bagley III (he was ranked above all of them by most prognosticators, to be fair). Divac was certainly not the only executive to stumble in the 2018 NBA Draft, but his misfire might be the one that produced the most enduring consequences.
Kings fans do not want to revisit that mistake, though. They know what they could have had. It is best to focus on the present. De’Aaron Fox is an underrated difference-maker who, alongside Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan, can possibly lead Sacramento to a successful season. But unfortunately, the presence and continued magnificence of Luka Doncic makes it quite tough to move on from the past.
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