Talk about rubbing salt in a wound for no apparent reason. Former Sacramento Kings general manager Vlade Divac recently jumped on Byron Scott’s Fast Break podcast to discuss his rational and how it looks like a mistake, now. That may be the biggest understatement in NBA history.
Vlade Divac says he passed on drafting Luka Dončić because he already had a point guard, didn’t want to play him at small forward, and didn’t want a big-name player like Luka in a small market.
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 27, 2026
“All of my assistants told me that he can play small forward, and I said no, no, Luka… pic.twitter.com/XuQFzHG13f
In a moment that runs on repeat in the memories of Kings' fans, Sacramento used their number two pick in 2018 to select Marvin Bagley III. That meant the Hawks could pick up Doncic third, though a rights swap quickly sent him to the Mavericks. And everyone knows how Dallas botched that.
Going with Bagley over Doncic was considered the blunder of the century in the NBA until the Mavs doubled down and made an even bigger Doncic mistake. Now, the man who made that call for Sacramento is trying to explain why, and his reasoning makes absolutely no sense.
Divac drops the ball and changes the NBA
A Laker's legend as a well as a former King, Divac was on a podcast recently discussing a variety of topics, including the miss on Doncic. Basically, Divac already had a number one point guard in De'Aaron Fox and didn't think Doncic could play small forward. So he passed on Doncic.
As Nico Harrison knows, bobbling a generational talent like Luka is a costly mistake. Divac didn't last much longer with the Kings after missing Doncic than Harrison did after trading him. Honestly, the mistake is even bigger than that when you look at the 2018 NBA Draft as a whole.
Yes, taking Bagley second means Divac missed out on Doncic. It also means he passed on Trae Young, Jaren Jackson Jr, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Mikal Bridges, Colin Sexton, and a litany of excellent role players off the bench. Any of them would have been a better choice than Bagley.
The word "mistake" doesn't come close to covering it
Divac referred to the decision to pass on Doncic as a mistake. That's like calling the Titanic hitting an iceberg a whoopsie. Doncic is one of the most talented and highly respected players in the league. He reinvigorated the Mavericks and will lead the Lakers to a Championship at some point.
That could have been Sacramento. Having someone the caliber of Doncic on the roster fills seats, attracts investments, and makes other great players want to be there. Drafting him was the turning point fans were waiting for and Divac passed because he already had a point guard.
Current GM Scott Perry has already done a better job drafting for the Kings than Divac did if you look at how things went in 2025. If nothing else, Divac's reasoning certainly validates Perry's drafting ethos of ignoring position and drafting the best possible player available when it's the Kings' turn.
Add us as a preferred source on Google