The NBA teams who bet against Luka Doncic

Even the legendary Jerry West, the man whose silhouette is the NBA’s logo, couldn’t believe it. Reflecting on the 2018 draft, West once said: “Luka Doncic ended up going fifth? My God… I can’t believe what those teams did. I don’t know how they let him slip. At 15, he was already a unique kid in Europe – not just competing with grown men, but shining against them.”

Jerry West saw Doncic coming

West, who passed away in June, wasn’t just an iconic player – he was also one of the league’s most visionary executives, the man who spotted a 17-year-old Kobe Bryant and orchestrated the Lakers’ trade with the Hornets to get him. But in 2018, three teams decided Doncic wasn’t their guy. Two didn’t draft him at all, and one traded him away the moment they did.

The Phoenix Suns held the No. 1 pick and chose Deandre Ayton, a local favorite from the University of Arizona. Ayton played in the 2021 Finals – which Phoenix lost – but by 2023 he was gone, quietly shipped off to Portland. He’s now with the Trail Blazers and hasn’t yet looked like a franchise-level center. Ironically, Phoenix had hired Igor Kokoskov just months before the draft – the coach who had led Slovenia to EuroBasket gold in 2017, with a 17-year-old Doncic already starring. Many assumed the Suns were positioning themselves to take the Real Madrid phenom. They weren’t. Kokoskov was out by the summer of 2019.

Next came the Sacramento Kings, who passed on Doncic despite having Vlade Divac – a European basketball legend – running basketball operations. Divac had been part of the trade that brought Kobe to LA. Surely he’d see the next one coming, right? He didn’t. The Kings already had De’Aaron Fox, so they opted for Marvin Bagley III instead. Bagley, a highly rated Duke forward, never came close to his projected ceiling. He was gone by 2022 and has already bounced through Detroit, Washington, and Memphis.

With the third pick, the Atlanta Hawks selected Doncic – and immediately traded him. Dallas, holding the No. 5 pick, sent over Trae Young and a 2019 first-rounder. To Atlanta’s credit, Trae has been a four-time All-Star and led them to an Eastern Conference Finals, averaging 24 points and a league-leading 11.5 assists this season. But Doncic has soared even higher, making the deal still sting in Atlanta.

To make matters worse, the Hawks’ bonus pick – No. 10 in 2019 – turned into Cam Reddish, a player with tantalizing potential who never panned out. He’s now on the Lakers, largely out of the rotation.

Between Doncic and Young, the Memphis Grizzlies took Jaren Jackson Jr. at No. 4.

The “we gave up on Luka” club

Despite progress, some NBA franchises still hold doubts about European players, questioning how their game will translate to the NBA. That hesitation led Phoenix and Sacramento to look elsewhere, and Atlanta to favor the American star appeal of Trae Young out of Oklahoma.

But the most baffling twist might be what’s happening now – in Dallas. The Mavericks, after five straight All-NBA First Team seasons and a Finals appearance with Doncic, chose to trade him.

Team leadership reportedly doubted his work ethic and durability in the long term. It’s a stunning decision – and it mirrors those earlier mistakes by the Suns, Kings, and Hawks. Those three have already learned the hard way (especially Sacramento) that passing on Doncic was a colossal error.

Now Dallas is in turmoil. The locker room is wrecked by injuries, fans are furious, and the team’s leadership – Patrick Dumont and Nico Harrison – are under fire. Once again, a franchise bet against Luka Doncic. And once again, it doesn’t look like the right call.

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