Luka Doncic is one of two favorites to be the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, and as possibly the best European prospect ever, he has some leverage in where he begins his career. He could, if he chooses, use the threat of signing long-term in Europe as a way to dissuade certain teams from drafting him.
Luka Doncic has leverage in the NBA Draft, and he just might use it
Doncic doesn’t have to play in the NBA this year if he doesn’t want to.
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Doncic is currently competing for Real Madrid, possibly the best professional basketball team in the world outside the NBA. His team is in the EuroLeague Final Four right now, which is why he won’t participate in the draft combine, and in press interviews overseas, he said he hasn’t made his decision on whether he will definitely go to the NBA yet.
“Ι’m not sure if these are the last two games [in EuroLeague],” Doncic said, according to Euro Hoops. “We have yet to make this decision. Perhaps after the season.”
This response was good strategy from Doncic and his agent.
The Draft lottery on Tuesday revealed the top-three picks in the draft belong to the Suns, Kings, and Hawks, respectively. We have no indication yet of which teams Doncic does or does not favor, but it’s no coincidence the Suns brought in his Slovenian national team coach Igor Kokoskov to head the team this season. If Phoenix opted to go with Deandre Ayton at No. 1, or anyone else, would Doncic be OK landing in Sacramento or Atlanta?
“[Doncic] is under contract in Real Madrid. If he doesn’t want to go to Sacramento, he can definitely make things hard on them by saying, ‘Guys if you draft me, I’m going to sign a huge extension, I’m going to make 2 million Euro next year and I’m not coming over until you trade my rights.’
“He’s never at any point said 100 percent he’s coming over next year. I think he’d like to, obviously you want to get your rookie-scale contract started, you want to get moving on that second deal four years from now. But he has a lot more leverage in this process than anybody else in this draft.”
Givony went on to mention how Sacramento specifically might not be a target for Doncic.
“Sacramento is not the most attractive place for a young prospect. De’Aaron Fox was very excited to go there, but we’ve seen in the past that that isn’t always the case with these young guys.”
With just over four weeks until the draft, rumors will be heating up over who goes where. But for now, it’s obvious Doncic is aware of the power he holds in his unique circumstance.
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