Sacramento Kings three-time All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis is reportedly generating some interest in trade circles.
During an appearance on Sactown Sports 1140’s Carmichael Dave Show (h/t RealGM), The Athletic’s Sam Amick provided some insight into how teams around the NBA view Sabonis, saying, “As it relates to Sabonis, my understanding is there are at least a few teams that have raised their hand to say, ‘Yeah, he’s somebody we’d want to talk about.'”
Amick’s report came on the heels of Carmichael Dave saying earlier this week on Sactown Sports 1140 that he believes the Kings are trending toward a rebuild that could involve trading away veterans such as Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine.
Sacramento acquired Sabonis in a trade during the 2021-22 season that sent guard Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers.
Both Sabonis and Haliburton have been successful individually for their respective teams since then, but the Pacers have enjoyed far more team success, reaching the NBA Finals last season.
Meanwhile, the Kings have made the playoffs only once with Sabonis in the fold and just once in the past 20 years overall, which is why they could be in the business of selling off assets soon.
Over parts of five seasons in Sacramento, Sabonis has earned one All-Star nod and two All-NBA Third Team selections, as well as two top-eight finishes in the NBA MVP voting.
He also owns averages of 19.1 points, 13.2 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game, while shooting 59.3 percent from the field as a King.
However, much like the Kings as a whole, Sabonis is not off to a great start so far this season.
Through nine games, he is averaging 15.3 points per game, which is his lowest scoring output since the 2018-19 campaign, which was when he was last a bench player.
He is also averaging 12.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals per contest, and he is shooting 49.5 percent from the floor, which is his worst mark since his rookie year in 2016-17 with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Kings are just 3-9, which is tied for the second-worst record in the Western Conference. Given the depth of talent in the West, it is difficult to envision them bouncing back and making a playoff push.
Sabonis is under contract through the 2027-28 season, so while the Kings don’t necessarily need to have a sense of urgency to move him, trading the 29-year-old now could potentially maximize the return they can get.
LaVine has a player option for next season, meaning he could become a free agent at the end of the current campaign, while DeRozan is only signed through next season. That could conceivably make trading both of them a greater priority than Sabonis.
However, because of Sabonis’ status as a versatile, do-it-all big in the mold of the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić, he is undoubtedly the Kings’ best trade asset and could kick start their rebuild.
