There has long been speculation that the Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors have been circling a deal involving Domantas Sabonis. The closer the new season gets, the question becomes how the Raps actually benefit, as they have five guys on the roster who can cover the five.
Sacramento has been shopping Sabonis around the league for the better part of the last year. The only teams with any real talk of interest in the big man have been the Hornets and Raptors. After all of their 2026 offseason moves, Charlotte definitely seems to be out of the Sabonis mix.
The Raptors remain the team that came the closest. At the 2026 trade deadline, a deal was almost made between the two teams. The catch was Jakob Poeltl, who has several years left on his contract. That prevented the Kings from making the call, as it was the exact contract they're trying to avoid.
Toronto's situation is changing without Sabonis
There's not really much chance of the Raptors being able to bring in Sabonis without moving Poeltl. They would need both the salary cap space and the roster spot to make it work. That being said, recent updates to their roster have changed the importance of getting the center position in line.
Now that Kawhi Leonard is back in the 6ix, the Raptors' need for a stronger starting center has become more apparent. Poeltl is perfectly fine, but he's not going to generate the numbers Sabonis does. That doesn't mean that Toronto needs to make this specific deal work out, though.
Collin Murray-Boyles is primarily a power forward, but he's also a darn good small-ball center. Between Poeltl and CMB, as well as Trey Jemison III, Trayce Jackson-Davies, and Nate Bittle, Toronto actually might have a strong rotation to work with at center to support Leonard and Scottie Barnes.
The Kings need to find a new trade partner
As it stands right now, Sabonis has two years and nearly $100 million left on his contract with Sacramento. That's the majority of the reason why the Kings have had problems trading him. As the clock winds down, it might get easier for them to trade the big man, but there are no guarantees.
Sacramento's best chance to trade Sabonis, assuming nothing can be worked out before then, will be at the 2027 trade deadline. Teams that are looking for a final postseason push and need a high-scoring center whose also an elite rebounder and playmaker might be interested in Sabonis.
It's impossible to say which team that will be, or even if there will be one. Frankly, it could still be the Raptors if they find that they need a certified double-double machine at the five to make a run happen. If Toronto is out, the Kings moving Sabonis any time soon seems unlikely.
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