Former Sacramento Kings star and former GM Vlade Divac recent comments (originally published in Croatian) surrounding a low point in recent team history are sure to reopen old wounds. While the Kings have been much better over the last couple of seasons after they missed the playoffs for 16 straight years and are poised to make it back to the postseason after a strong summer, they could have been even better.
Back in 2018, the Kings had the second overall pick in the NBA draft and infamously selected Marvin Bagley III. Bagley III lasted just three and a half seasons with the Kings before being traded to the Detroit Pistons. Meanwhile, the Kings passed up on not one but two multi-time NBA All-Stars in Luka Doncic and Trae Young.
Passing up on Doncic is far more egregious, however, considering that in the six seasons since being drafted he has made five all-star and five all-NBA first teams, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to do so. Worse yet, Divac mentioned that the reason why he didn't select Doncic second overall when he was GM, even though he was widely seen as a generational prospect, was that they already had De'Aaron Fox.
By that point, Fox didn't project to be an All-Star caliber point guard. Even if he did, passing up on a 6'6 playmaking prospect like Doncic, who could easily play with another primary ball handler, as evident by him playing alongside Kyrie Irving in Dallas currently, is baffling.
Vlade Divac reopens wounds by reminding Kings fans about Luka Doncic.
The Kings got very little from their time with Bagley but at least got a rotation player in Trey Lyles by trading him. Even so, the Kings could have still paired Fox and Doncic together and that arguably would have led to more success, though perhaps without the same core.
Divac's successor, Monte McNaire, drafted point guards Davion Mitchell 9th overall in 2021 and Tyrese Haliburton 11th overall in 2022. It is notable that he drafted point guards' back-to-back years even though they had Fox.
Had he been in place during the 2018 NBA Draft, then the Kings probably would have drafted Doncic. However, Haliburton was later traded for Domantas Sabonis, and it is debatable whether they would have been in a position to select Keegan Murray.
There is also the question of whether Fox would have been able to reach his full potential playing alongside Doncic. Nevertheless, even if he didn't, having a top 5 player in the NBA on your roster for at least eight or nine seasons would have dramatically changed the Kings' future.