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Vlade Divac Explains Passing on Luka Dončić, Calls 2018 Kings Pick a Mistake

Divac cites De’Aaron Fox fit as his reason for passing on Dončić.

Overview

  • Divac, speaking Monday on Byron Scott’s podcast, said he saw Dončić as a point guard and believed drafting him would force a trade of De’Aaron Fox.
  • He said he trusted his relationship with Fox, viewed Sacramento as a better fit for him, and described Dončić as a “big market” player, which he now calls a mistake.
  • In the 2018 draft, Phoenix took Deandre Ayton first, Sacramento picked Marvin Bagley III second, and Atlanta selected Dončić third before trading him to Dallas for Trae Young and a future pick.
  • Dončić has since become one of the league’s elite players, moved to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2025, and is currently out of the 2026 playoffs with a hamstring injury.
  • Bagley did not develop into a franchise anchor and has moved through multiple teams, and Divac resigned from the Kings’ front office in 2020.