When it comes to the Sacramento Kings' two consecutive wins, there's an elephant in the room no one is talking about. That's the absence of All-Star center Domantas Sabonis and how the Kings are playing better without him. As such, It's time for Sacramento to get out of the Sabonis business.
The writing has been on the wall since the departures of Mike Brown and De'Aaron Fox. As the head coach, Brown understood how to put Sabonis to work as the offensive hub. Since Brown was fired, Sabonis has declined in both shooting and assists, a direct result of that change.
Fox leaving only exacerbated that issue. He and Sabonis player reasonably well together, one feeding off the other. As the point guard, Fox kept Sabonis in the mix, and set him up for success. That duo coming to an end definitely changed Sacramento's game in a number of ways.
Now, there's a new head coach, two new point guards, and, most importantly, a new defensive focus on the Kings. Unfortunately for Sabonis, he's not much of a presence on defense. And he is no longer a primary offensive threat for the Kings with so many shooters on the team.
It's time for the Kings and Sabonis to move on from each other
The Kings have basically stated their open for business on 90% of their current roster. That absolutely includes Sabonis, a player they desperately need to move as soon as possible. His huge contract and lack of defense are essentially albatrosses weighing the Kings down.
That has been extremely apparent since Keegan Murray's return. The Kings have won back-to-back games this season for the first time. The biggest changes were Murray being back as a starter and Sabonis sitting on the bench with an injury for both wins. That's hard to ignore.
Domantas no longer fits on the Kings. They're looking for something different from their starting center, which Sabonis cannot provide. Given recent events, he might even be preventing the current roster from succeeding at this point. If they keep winning without him, that closes the case.
Unless the Kings can make a trade work, they're stuck with Sabonis and his massive contract through the 2027-2028 season. While he doesn't fit the new direction for Sacramento, that doesn't mean he couldn't be a good fit for another team in search of five who scores and rebounds well.