According to Anthony Slater of ESPN, Sacramento Kings big man Domantas Sabonis could be a serious trade candidate. He is eligible for an extension, but according to Slater, Sacramento is "not interested in having that discussion." Slater also mentions that Sabonis' name has come up in trade discussions over the past year, and a move could be the next step for him.
"Domantas Sabonis is extension-eligible, and the Sacramento Kings are not interested in having that conversation. Now they've Sabonis and Scott Perry have a very transparent, good relationship, and they're, you know, I've reported it, mean they've there's been several trade talks with Sabonis with several Eastern Conference teams over the last calendar year. It hasn't come to fruition," Slater said on the 'Hoop Collective' podcast.
"Sabonis is recommitting to the Kings now, but I think we all know where this is going. And I think part of what you were saying is some of the representations which might be about trying to expedite that process."
In a previous report, Slater mentioned that the Kings and Boston Celtics had discussions about the Lithuanian native before the draft. But even though there's a lot to like about his game and the fact that they didn't make a huge splash at center (unless you want to count signing Mitchell Robinson as that), the Celtics should stay away from Sabonis this time around.
The Celtics don't need to trade for Domantas Sabonis... or his contract
Sabonis is a very talented player, and he's blossomed in Sacramento.
During his time with the Kings (including last season, when he played just 19 games before undergoing meniscus surgery in February), Sabonis has averaged 19 PPG, 13.1 RPG, and 6.9 APG on 59.3/37.3/73.2% shooting splits.
He also finished 10th in MVP voting twice, led the NBA in rebounds per game three times, was a two-time All-NBA Third Team selection, and a one-time All-Star, just with the Kings (finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting in 2018-19 and was a two-time All-Star with the Indiana Pacers in 2020 and 2021). (Sabonis also finished 10th in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2023-24, but to be completely honest, I'm not really sure how. This is like that "polar bear in Arlington, Texas" meme.)
Sabonis is an elite rebounder, an efficient scorer, and a talented passer/playmaker, especially for his position. But he also has two years remaining on his four-year, $186 million deal, can't play a lick of defense, and doesn't have the volume to be a stretch big (despite the efficiency, he has shot a career 1.4 three-point attempts per game).
He brings a lot to the table, but he's also not a great fit in Joe Mazzulla's system in Boston. Plus, because of his hefty contract, it would cost the team an arm and a leg to get him, and that's not worth risking (especially since the team already has a pretty intriguing center situation going on right now).
Maybe in two years if he hits free agency, the Celtics can pick up the phone. But until then, they need to steer clear and let another team and focus on what they have. Sabonis isn't going to fix their biggest problems, and trading for him might do more harm than good.
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