NBA Rumors: The Dilemma the Sacramento Kings Have with Domantas Sabonis
The injury problems of the Lithuanian have prevented him from playing much last season, and teams are withdrawing from the fight to secure his services.
Domantas Sabonis has been at the center of trade rumors for months. The All-Star center is one of the pieces that the Sacramento Kings are reportedly trying to move as part of their rebuilding process, but the franchise is encountering a significant obstacle when negotiating his departure.
The Kings value Sabonis differently than the rest of the NBA
Recently, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report explained that the Sacramento front office's valuation of Sabonis is very different from that of other teams in the league. While the Kings believe that the All-NBA big man holds positive value as a trade asset, several rival executives think otherwise.
“From my conversations with rival executives around the league, many do not believe that Domantas Sabonis has positive market value. They feel they would need to receive compensation to take on the remainder of his contract because in this NBA, you have to value a player taking into account what his next extension might look like,” Fischer explained.
Sabonis, 30, has a salary of $45.472 million for the 2026-27 season and $48.608 million for the 2027-28 season. In total, he has $94 million committed over the next two seasons.
Moreover, the center played only 15 games last season due to a tear in the meniscus of his left knee. Even if NBA teams fully trusted his ability to stay healthy, his contract makes several of them view him as a negative asset.
His performance could regain some of its value
Theoretically, Sabonis could increase his market value again if he manages to stay healthy and regain the level he showed with Sacramento two seasons ago.
During the 2024-25 season, the center averaged 19.1 points, 13.9 rebounds per game, the highest in the league, and six assists per game.
However, even that version of Sabonis is still considered a defensive liability, and his best utilization would be as a third option on a playoff-contending team.
The player wants to leave Sacramento and is also likely to seek a new contract during the upcoming long year. Given the valuation he has around the rest of the NBA, it seems unlikely that he will be able to secure the amount he desires with his next team.
Sacramento does not want to include assets to trade him
The Kings' front office is clear: they are not willing to include additional assets just to part with Sabonis.
Additionally, the new NBA Draft lottery rules give Sacramento better odds if they finish with the fourth worst record in the league than if they end up among the three worst teams.
Furthermore, Sabonis's pick-and-roll game fits well with rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr.
His departure could wait until next summer
Given Sabonis' current valuation around the NBA, it seems increasingly possible that the center will remain with the Kings for the entire 2026-27 season.
The Kings could put him back on the market next summer, at which point his $48.608 million salary in the final year of his contract could become more appealing to other teams.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Rumores NBA: La disyuntiva que tiene Sacramento Kings con Domantas Sabonis
