Ex-Kings GM Divac: 'Time will tell if I was wrong' to pass on Doncic
Former Sacramento Kings general manager Vlade Divac said it's still too early to determine whether he made a mistake by passing on Luka Doncic in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Divac, who served as the Kings' general manager from 2015-20, defended his decision to draft Marvin Bagley III over Doncic with the No. 2 overall pick in an interview with Croatian media outlet Index.hr.
"At that position, I already had De'Aaron Fox, whom I had drafted a year earlier," Divac said, according to NBC Bay Area's Joel Soria. "At the time, I believed Fox was a player who could become a franchise star in the coming years.
"Time will tell if I was wrong. As things stand now, it seems I was, but I still have faith in Fox having a great career."
Bagley spent three-and-a-half seasons with the Kings before being traded to the Detroit Pistons in February 2022. He was then dealt to the Washington Wizards two years later.
Doncic went on to win the 2018-19 Rookie of the Year award and has made five NBA All-Star Game appearances to date. He hasn't forgotten about being passed over for Bagley, as he appeared to chirp Divac during a game between the Kings and Dallas Mavericks last season.
Luka Doncic as he puts away the Kings tonight in Sacramento with his final free throw, then as the final horn sounds, waves goodbye to former Kings GM Vlade Divac seated courtside and says "he shoulda' drafted me." pic.twitter.com/6j26cLprxA
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) March 30, 2024
"I love watching Luka; I really enjoy his style of basketball," Divac said. "I had my own reasons for making that decision. Maybe I made a mistake, but time will tell."