After watching his coach and co-star depart from the franchise, NBA big man Domantas Sabonis has some questions about what comes next. According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Sabonis’ loyalty to the Kings is under doubt after an underachieving season.
“League sources said Sabonis, who has three more seasons and a combined $140.3 million left on his current deal, is expected to seek clarity about the organization’s plan in the offseason. Just as Fox wanted to know whose voice mattered most on key decisions, and who the team’s owner might be trusting the most as counsel, Sabonis is known to have similar questions.”
Sabonis, 28, was drafted 11th overall in 2016. After five years with the Indiana Pacers, he was traded to the Kings in 2022 in exchange for Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson.
Initially, Sabonis had a lot of success in Sacramento, and even helped to lead them to the playoffs with averages of 19.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game on 61.5% shooting. After losing to the Warriors in the first round, however, the Kings never got that far again.
Today, they are ninth in the West at 32-29 and while Sabonis is still on the roster, it might not be much longer before he follows De’Aaron’s lead and forces his way out of town. After everything that’s happened over the years, some might say it’s long overdue.
The turning point for the Kings was after losing the play-in tournament to the Pelicans last year. The defeat led the Kings to sign DeMar DeRozan over the summer, but not even his arrival could prevent them from another disappointing season.
After a 13-18 start, the franchise decided to part ways with their longtime head coach, Mike Brown, and things were never the same after that. Eventually, the Kings were forced to trade De’Aaron Fox and now he’s on the Spurs with no regrets.
According to Fox, it was letting go of Mike Brown that convinced him to leave and it seems the same could be true for Sabonis. With averages of 19.5 points, 14.1 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game on 46.8% shooting, Sabonis has been playing his role to perfection but without a trusted coach and a viable co-star, the Kings just don’t have enough to keep up with the league’s top teams.
Currently, Sabonis still has four years and $178 million left on his deal but it’s unlikely that he’ll play out the rest of it in Sacramento. As the Kings lean toward another rebuild, it seems inevitable that Domantas will be traded to a place where he can play more meaningful basketball. The question is, which team would make the best fit?
With James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and a chest of assets, the Clippers are one team that could benefit from a big like Sabonis, who can rebound and stretch the floor in the backcourt. There’s also a team like the Memphis Grizzlies, who could become title favorites in the West with his presence next to Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.
Only time will tell where Sabonis ends up but at 28 years old, the guy is just entering his prime and he could make a huge difference in the right situation.
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