The Sacramento Kings are about to start moving veterans, and Domantas Sabonis is the headliner.
Veteran NBA writer Jake Fischer reported on Substack over the weekend that the Kings expect to make Sabonis available for trade this summer. Sacramento wants to shed major salary after a 22-60 disaster of a season, and Fischer says Sabonis is the player most likely to generate real interest from contenders.
That makes sense. Sabonis is a three-time NBA All-Star and a three-time league rebounding leader. He earned back-to-back All-NBA selections in 2023 and 2024. When healthy, he is one of the best interior scorers and passing big men in the league.
The problem is the contract. Sabonis is set to make $45.5 million next season and is owed $48.6 million in 2027-28 before his deal expires. That is a lot of money for a player who turned 30 this year and just missed most of last season with a meniscus tear.
Over the five seasons before the injury, Sabonis averaged 19.0 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game. That is borderline top-15 big man production. The Kings could not get out of the play-in tournament most of those years, which says more about the roster around him than about him.
Last year, Sabonis played just 19 games and put up 15.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. The numbers were down, but he was clearly not at full health. The film showed a player working back into shape rather than a player on the decline.
The Joel Embiid connection is the one to watch. Reports a few weeks ago linked Sabonis to a potential Philadelphia trade scenario, with the 76ers considering pairing him with Embiid. Sixers ownership has signaled they will spend whatever it takes to maximize the Embiid window, and a Sabonis-Embiid frontcourt would give Philly an interior matchup nobody else could replicate.
The downside of that pairing is defense. Embiid takes care of the paint at his end. Sabonis is a willing rebounder but is not the rim protector you want next to him. The Sixers would have to scheme around a defensive frontcourt that does not switch well in modern playoff basketball.
Other teams should call too. The Magic have a need at the center spot. The Hawks could use a real veteran post option next to Trae Young. The Bulls have been trying to compete and have the salary to make the math work. Even the Heat might come back into the conversation if their Giannis pursuit falls through.
For the Kings, this is the start of a real rebuild. The Sabonis trade is the first domino. Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Malik Monk are all expected to be on the block too. Sacramento is essentially starting over after the De’Aaron Fox era never produced a deep playoff run.
The return for Sabonis should be substantial. A team taking on $94 million across the next two seasons is going to want the deal to come with a future pick or two as compensation, but the Kings cannot give away an All-NBA player. The right framework is probably a contending team’s best young player, a first-round pick, and matching salary.
Sabonis has spent five years carrying a Kings franchise that never quite figured out how to win in the playoffs. He deserves to be on a team that knows what to do with him.
The trade is going to happen. The only question is who steps up first.
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.
