1. Luka Doncic – 2018
What is there to say that hasn’t been said? Yes, the Kings had De’Aaron Fox as their guard of the future but there’s no reason the two couldn’t have played next to each other. Doncic showed he can play with another talented ball-handler, Jalen Brunson, in the 2022 Playoffs, taking the Mavs to the Western Conference Finals. Would Fox have turned into what he is today? Probably not, but it could have been a special pairing.
Luka was a EuroLeague MVP and Champion before even stepping foot on an NBA court. Some of it can be attributed to Euro bias, something Luka has probably all but eradicated now, but that’s really no excuse.
Effectively, two other teams passed on the Slovenian superstar but they both have an above average or All-Star players to show for it (Deandre Ayton, Trae Young). As everyone knows, the Sac front office chose Marvin Bagley III, who is now no longer even a King. He averaged 12 points and 6.4 rebounds a game for the last place Detroit Pistons this season.
Meanwhile, although Luka has just logged his most disappointing NBA season ever, his accolades are still piling up.
5 Players the Sacramento Kings gave up on too soon
The Sacramento Kings have a long history of front-office mistakes revolving around players, and some of those include letting guys go too quickly.