Celtics talked to Kings about possible Domantas Sabonis trade

Domantas Sabonis will enter his sixth season with the Sacramento Kings. It almost did not happen, as the Kings tried to trade him in the offseason amid a reported vision to rebuild the roster.

With his all-around prowess, Sabonis is the Kings’ most important player. Even with the arrival of Darius Acuff Jr. and the upside of Maxime Raynaud, the 30-year-old center will be the team’s main anchor on both ends.

Sabonis was heavily linked to the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets, however, were unwilling to let go of their draft capital in exchange for the three-time All-Star. According to a report from ESPN’s Anthony Slater, the Boston Celtics also showed interest, which went under the radar.

“There were predraft conversations about Sabonis with the Charlotte Hornets (who held pick Nos. 14 and 18) and at least one phone call with the Boston Celtics, team and league sources said, but nothing materialized,” wrote Slater.

“In Charlotte’s case, the idea would’ve been to pair Sabonis with point guard LaMelo Ball, but the franchise instead opted to trade Ball for draft picks and lean further into a youth movement.”

It remains unclear who the Celtics tried to offer to the Kings for Sabonis. It is also possible that they just did their due diligence. It was, however, clear that Boston was looking for a center following the exit of Nikola Vucevic. The Celtics eventually landed Mitchell Robinson in free agency.

Sabonis would have been a formidable addition to Beantown with his two-way efficiency. Imagine a dynamic frontline of Sabonis, Jayson Tatum, and Paul George.