The Sacramento Kings were one of the worst teams in the NBA for nearly two decades, never making the playoffs from 2006-2022. While the franchise had countless missteps and bad decisions along the way, the decision to pass on Luka Doncic still haunts the franchise years later.
Following the 2017-’18 season, Sacramento had the seventh-highest odds in the lottery for the 2018 NBA Draft. In a rare stroke of fortune for the snake-bitten organization, the Kings landed the second overall pick. On draft night, they had the opportunity to draft Doncic and pair him with De’Aaron Fox.
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- Luka Doncic stats (2023-’24): 33.8 PPG, 9.8 APG, 9.1 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 48.7 FG%, 37.6 3PT%, .218 Win Shares per 48 Minutes
While the fan base desperately wanted to see Doncic in Sacramento, general manager Vlade Divac went in a different direction. He selected forward Marvin Bagley, hoping the Duke Blue Devils star would pair perfectly with Fox. Instead, Bagley finished his Kings’ career averaging just 13.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
Doncic simply went on to become one of the best players in basketball. A five-time All-Star selection, the 25-year-old is now in the thick of the NBA MVP race. He also strengthened his case with clutch performances over the Kings this past week.
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Heading into a March 26 game against Sacramento, Doncic and the Mavericks trailed the Kings for the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference. It’s a critical spot as the No. 7 seed drops into the Play-In Tournament, while the sixth-seeded team automatically makes it into the first round of the NBA playoffs.
On March 26, Doncic scored 28 points with 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in a blowout 132-96 victory. On Friday night, he again buried Sacramento with 26 points, 12 assists and 9 rebounds in a 113-107 victory.
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- Luka Doncic stats vs Kings (career): 27.4 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 8.8 APG, 45.6% FG,
While Divac is no longer the Kings’ general manager, he still works for the franchise as vice president of basketball and franchise operations. He was in attendance for the latest Kings’ loss to the Mavericks and Doncic made sure to remind him of the decision he made years ago.
Thanks to the victory, Dallas now holds a two-game lead over Sacramento in the conference’s playoff standings and the Kings are now the eighth-seeded team behind the Phoenix Suns. To make matters worse for Sacramento, guard Kevin Huerter underwent season-ending surgery and Malik Monk will be sidelined for at least three weeks due to an MCL sprain.