Domantas Sabonis Is the Most Available Trade Target on the NBA Market. The Bidding Should Get Loud
The Sacramento Kings are about to put a three-time All-Star on the trade block. The rest of the league is going to line up.
Domantas Sabonis is expected to be made available this summer, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported. The Kings want to shed significant salary, and Sabonis is more likely to draw real interest than the other big contracts on the roster.
Sacramento is staring down a brutal cap situation. They owe Sabonis $45.5 million next year and $48.6 million the year after. They also owe Zach LaVine $48.9 million and DeMar DeRozan $25.7 million. They went 22-60. The whole reset has to start somewhere.
Sabonis is the asset that gets them the most back. Fischer’s reporting is direct on that.
The case for him is the case it has been for five years. He averaged 19.0 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game across his Kings tenure. He led the league in rebounding three times. He earned back-to-back All-NBA selections in 2023 and 2024.
The case against him is that he is 30, coming off a meniscus tear that limited him to 19 games last year, and his per-game numbers slipped to 15.8 points and 11.4 rebounds when he was on the court. That is still good production. It is not the franchise-altering production that justifies $94 million across the next two years.
The fit issue is real. Sabonis does most of his damage on the post and short roll. He is not a floor spacer. Teams built around perimeter creators have learned that pairing them with a big who clogs the paint creates issues on offense. Sacramento ran into that problem when they tried to play Sabonis next to LaVine and DeRozan in the half court.
The teams that should call are the ones that need a passing big who can run an offense from the elbow. The Philadelphia 76ers have been linked. Joel Embiid’s injury history means Philly needs a backup who can carry stretches. Sabonis next to Embiid is a strange fit defensively but a fascinating one offensively.
The Pelicans should also be in the mix. New Orleans has Zion Williamson’s health questions and a need for someone who can rebound and run sets. Sabonis fits.
The Hawks have been rumored to want bigger lineup options to defend Wembanyama and Embiid. Trae Young and Sabonis is a high-pick-and-roll matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.
Here is the wrinkle. Most trades will not happen until the Giannis situation gets resolved. As long as Antetokounmpo is technically available, teams with money to spend are going to hold their best assets in case Milwaukee finally pulls the trigger. Sacramento knows this. They are likely going to be one of the last dominoes to fall, which means the Sabonis market gets fully clear in late June or early July.
Monte McNair has to be aggressive when the time comes. The Kings cannot afford to overplay their hand with a 30-year-old big coming off a meniscus tear. Sabonis still has trade value. He has less of it than he did 18 months ago.
The reset is starting. Sabonis is the first big domino. The Kings have to get this one right or the next five years look exactly like the last five.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
