New Report on Domantas Sabonis' Future With Sacramento Kings

Sabonis made it clear he was not happy with how the franchise handled the De’Aaron Fox trade and that he was expecting some confirmation that the team was going to head in the right direction. After trading Fox, Sabonis struggled a bit between adjusting to new teammates and dealing with injuries to close the season.

Post All-Star break, Sabonis saw a decline in almost every statistical category, notably averaging 5 less points per game at 15.4. The success of the team and Sabonis’ aforementioned issues just put fuel on the fire that he might be looking for a way out of Sacramento, but it sounds like that hasn’t been the case. Sam Amick had this to say about Sabonis via The Athletic.

“In terms of building blocks, team and league sources say the Kings continue to signal a commitment to veteran big man Domantas Sabonis.”

I previously wrote about Sam Vecenie and Bryce Simon bringing up the idea of the Kings building around Domantas Sabonis on their Game Theory podcast and it seems like Sacramento is leaning that direction. Acquiring an athletic wing who projects to primarily off-ball was another signal that the team is looking to optimize the Lithuanian big man’s skillset. More needs to be done to balance the roster, but Vecenie’s vision for the Kings was to acquire two-way guys, and Nique Clifford definitely fits that description. 

“Maybe you build around Sabonis and you make sure you go get two-way guys" 

Clifford, Keegan Murray, Keon Ellis, and Devon Carter are all players that could fit the next evolution of the Kings, but they have some huge question marks still. Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are great offensive players, but I think it’s fair to say the fit just isn’t there. The problem with the two players is that the trade market for them may not be as robust as Sacramento would hope.

Amick mentioned that LaVine specifically would have a really small market due to his contract. DeRozan may be a bit easier to move on a more team-friendly deal, but he’ll be a free agent at the end of 26/27 season, so teams may be hesitant to spend any real assets there. 

Malik Monk has been a great partner for Domantas Sabonis, but it feels more and more like he might be the most likely player to be moved out of last years starting lineup. It would be rough to lose Malik, but the Kings desperately need to retool the roster quickly if they want to compete next year. The biggest need if Monk is moved would be a guard (ideally a lead guard) who can run the pick and roll with Sabonis, who was 10th in the NBA in pick and roll points per possession among roll men with at least 2 PnR possessions per game.

Monk isn’t a true point guard, but he’s an elite passer, excels at finishing around the rim, and maybe most importantly, he and Sabonis have a ton of chemistry already. It won’t be easy to find a replacement for Monk that can build that type of connection with Domas. 

The Kings have been linked to a ton of players, but it remains to be seen if they will be able to find a long-term lead guard to pair with Sabonis. If they are unable to find that lead guard through a trade or free agency, they at least need to find a solid 4 who can space the floor and protect the rim (I know, not easy to find either).

The draft continues tonight and the Kings have the 42nd pick right now, could they look to find another wing or forward in the draft or will they need to look elsewhere? Either way, I don’t think Sacramento is done making moves if they’re truly planning on building around Domas.