Vlade Divac revisits passing on Luka
- Former Sacramento Kings general manager Vlade Divac said on Byron Scott’s podcast that passing on Luka Dončić in the 2018 draft “looks like” a mistake. - Divac said he viewed Dončić as a point guard, feared drafting him meant trading De’Aaron Fox, and believed Luka was “a big market player.” - Sacramento enters the May 10 lottery with 11.5% No. 1 odds after losing a tiebreaker to Utah. (espn.com)
Vlade Divac said this week that passing on Luka Dončić in the 2018 National Basketball Association draft “looks like” a mistake. (sactownsports.com) The former Sacramento Kings general manager made the comment on Byron Scott’s “Fast Break” podcast, where he said he had traveled to Madrid before the draft to meet Dončić. (sactownsports.com) Divac said his staff believed Dončić could play small forward, but he saw him as a point guard and thought drafting him would force a choice with De’Aaron Fox. (sactownsports.com) He also said market size shaped his thinking, calling Fox “a perfect fit” for a small-market team and Dončić “a big market player.” (sactownsports.com) The decision has followed Sacramento for eight years because the Kings held the No. 2 pick in 2018 and selected Marvin Bagley III, while Phoenix took Deandre Ayton first and Dallas ultimately landed Dončić. (basketball-reference.com) Dončić won Rookie of the Year in 2019 and quickly became one of the league’s central stars, turning the Kings’ miss into one of the most replayed draft debates of the past decade. (nba.com) The timing is sharper now because Sacramento is back in the lottery on Sunday, May 10, after missing the playoffs in 2026. (espn.com) The Kings enter the drawing with the fifth-best odds at No. 1, 11.5%, after Utah won the tiebreaker for the fourth slot. (espn.com) Fox is no longer in Sacramento either. The Kings traded him to San Antonio in February 2025, and he signed a four-year, $229 million extension with the Spurs in August 2025. (nba.com) That leaves Divac’s explanation tied to a roster calculation the franchise itself has already moved past. The draft board changed in 2018; the consequences are still attached to Sacramento in 2026. (sactownsports.com)
