Last season, after sealing a game from the free throw line against the Kings, Luka Doncic pointed at somebody. At first, there was confusion. In the moments later it turned out to be Vlade Divac. “He should’ve drafted me” the Slovenian apparently shouted. In 2018, Sacramento let the now perennial MVP candidate slip to select Marvin Bagley III. Divac being the GM, felt the brunt of the decision the most, eventually resigning in 2020. Now years later, he revisited the decision when speaking to EuroHoops.

Understandably, there were some regrets. At the time, the Kings had De’Aaron Fox as their point guard. Doncic would become a direct contender for the spot. Within the front office, due to their heavy ball presence, they didn’t see the tandem working fluently with one another. Divac still stands by his assessment but does feel he made a mistake in not opting to go for the better-looking prospect.

“At that moment, I thought Fox was a player who could become a franchise player in the future. Time will tell if I was wrong. As things stand now, it looks like I am, but I have faith in young Fox that he will have a better career,” Divac explained. When asked about them being a pair, he couldn’t see the fruition together to which he saw an ultimatum.

“Fox is a point guard who needs the ball, just young Luka. I could only take Luka, but then I would have to trade Fox,” the former Kings GM claimed talking to EuroHoops.

At the time, Bagley III was coming off a sensational collegiate campaign with Duke. A Naismith Player of The Year winner, every team had their eyes set on the prodigious center. With the Kings in particular, Fox too was promising and still continues to have that ceiling. A traditional star guard-center partnership rarely fails.

Unfortunately, Marvin Bagley III, marred by injuries could never ascend as an elite center. He only spent four seasons in Sacramento. While Doncic did what was expected of him. He became the franchise-altering phantom for Dallas, even leading them to the NBA Finals this past year. Divac has also fallen in love with his game, only citing “his body” as the issue. Weight has been a recurring issue with the Mavericks star. Every offseason the same problem seems to be relayed. His game though doesn’t seem affected by the rumors.

But now years later, do the Kings really beat themselves for not drafting Doncic?

Sacramento Kings have recovered from their Luka Doncic miss

It isn’t just Vlade Divac that had issues with picking Doncic. When speaking to Kevin O’Connor, the current ace, Fox also felt they had ‘guys who can score’. In hindsight, Doncic would have taken the role of being the epicenter away from the explosive and rapid Kings guard. Furthermore, they would have never had Domastas Sabonis who has essentially fit perfectly besides Fox.

From a fit standout alone, both Sabonis and Fox take many touches. So why wouldn’t it work with Doncic? It’s a question of where those touches occur. With the Lithuanian center, he often makes plays from the post, averaging nearly 10 touches in the paint. On the other hand, Fox initiates most of his offense in transition, frequently taking the ball from the backcourt all the way through.

In that regard, Luka Doncic is the same. His time on the ball is nearly 8 seconds per possession and often comes in isolation or in a pick-and-roll. If anything, it would a Fox-Doncic duo would have severely affected ball movement, a standout trait in the Kings offense. For those reasons, having a big like Sabonis who can set great screens and make post-plays enhances the impact De’Aaron Fox can have in the game.

That’s among the reasons that the Kings broke their playoff draught in 2023. They hadn’t been to the postseason since 2007 prior to Sabonis’ arrival. Their tandem enables both Fox to attack defenders from the arc. Sabonis takes care of forging a string with the other teammates, all of whom are adept at moving away from the ball.

The Kings front office has successfully recovered. And now with DeMar DeRozan, they have a seasoned offensive maestro that will help control the pace. After missing the playoffs narrowly last season, the beam might light during the ‘most exciting’ time this season.