Vlade Divac on Sacramento Kings Not Drafting Luka Dončić in 2018: 'I Would've Had to Trade Fox'
Vlade Divac admits he may have made a mistake not drafting Luka Dončić in 2018. The former Sacramento Kings GM opens up about his controversial decision.
DALLAS — Vlade Divac, the Hall of Famer and former Sacramento Kings general manager, had many achievements in his career on the court and the front office, but the decision to pass on Luka Dončić in 2018 continues to draw attention.
During the 2018 NBA Draft, Divac and the Kings made a highly criticized decision. With the No. 2 overall pick, they passed on Dončić and selected Marvin Bagley III instead. This move has haunted the Kings ever since, as Dončić has blossomed into one of the NBA’s best players, while Bagley struggled in Sacramento and was ultimately traded.
Recently, Divac opened up about both events, offering insight into the decision in an interview with Index, a Croatian outlet.
Divac is Still Holding Out Hope About Dončić Decision
Divac recently admitted he may have made the wrong choice but explained the potential backcourt overlap with De’Aaron Fox as his reasoning. "I had De'Aaron Fox at that position, whom I drafted a year earlier. At that moment, I thought that Fox was a player who could become a franchise player in the future,” he recalled, before adding that he still believes Fox could prove to have a better career. “Time will tell if I was wrong. As things stand now, it looks like I am, but I have faith in Fox that he will have a better career.”
Divac detailed how Kyrie Irving, Dončić’s current star backcourt partner, has a different skill set that fits better than how Fox would have played with the Slovenian superstar. "Irving is a classic scorer, as is Luka. Fox is not. He is a player who needs the ball, just like Luka needs it,” he said, before adding that had he drafted Dončić, he felt trading Fox would have been necessary. “I could've taken Luka, but then I would've had to trade Fox.”
While Fox has had a solid career with the Kings, the contrast between his trajectory and Dončić’s meteoric rise has fueled endless debates. Dončić drafted third overall by the Atlanta Hawks and traded to the Mavericks, went on to win NBA Rookie of the Year honors, and earn five consecutive All-NBA First-Team selections. In contrast, Bagley never reached his potential and has already been traded multiple times.
Dončić has not forgotten the draft snub either. During a Mavericks-Kings game last season, Dončić reportedly waved goodbye to Divac after sinking the game-sealing free throw. “He should’ve drafted me,” Dončić allegedly said on the court after sealing a pivotal win while both teams were still competing to avoid play-in tournament seeding.
Divac pointed out that the Kings weren’t alone in passing on Dončić. "Interestingly, Phoenix also skipped on Luka, and then their coach was Igor Kokoskov, who was his coach in the Slovenian national team. Atlanta drafted him, but they also passed on him,” Divac said. “It wasn't until Dallas took him. I like watching Luka, I really like his basketball, but I had my own reasons for deciding the way I did. Maybe I was wrong, but time will tell.”
Some bring up Divac passing on Luka due to a poor relationship with his father, Saša Dončić, but the former Kings GM denies this was the case. “These are ordinary journalistic nonsense,” Divac said. “I know Sasa very well, I love and appreciate him. He even played in Kraljevo (as did Divac) when Luka was little. It has nothing to do with the relationship. I follow Luka and see that he is going the right way. I repeat, he will just have to watch his body.”
Divac is Still Confident in Fox
As Dončić continues to dominate for the Mavericks, Divac remains optimistic about Fox’s outlook. "I have faith in Fox," he said. "He has the potential to have a great career, and he’s already made a significant impact."
Dončić, who finished third in MVP voting last season and led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals for the first time and the Western Conference Finals twice, has become the generational talent many expected him to be. With an average of 33.9 points, 9.8 assists, and 9.2 rebounds during the 2023-24 season, Dončić trails only Nikola Jokić in the preseason MVP outlook, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Fox, who has improved steadily, ranks outside the top 20.
It’s been obvious for a while that the decision made in 2018 was a blunder by the Kings. As Sacramento looks to the future and Dončić continues to build his legacy, the echoes of these past decisions will undoubtedly resonate for years to come.
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