If Domantas Sabonis has learned one thing over the last year or so, it's that his trade value is surprisingly low. As such, he needs the Sacramento Kings to stay invested in him if he wants a veteran extension, and that means fully buying into the rebuild process on every level.
As of July 2026, Sabonis became eligible to sign a veteran extension to his current contract, which is exactly what it sounds like. The CBA would allow him to sign a maximum-three year extension, with the first year of that extension seeing 140% increase followed by two more 8% increases.
If that sounds like an insane raise for a player like Sabonis, you're in the right headspace. The roughly $95 million he's set to make over the last two years over his current contract is nothing compared to the more than $220 million he gets from the Kings across a three-year veteran extension.
This is a center who can't play defense and is becoming increasingly injury prone. Keeping him for that kind of money would utterly destroy the rebuild and make Sabonis utterly untradeable. If other teams didn't want him at $95 million, they certainly aren't taking him at $220 million.
Sabonis' only move is to endear himself to the Kings
If Sabonis and his management are hoping to convince the Kings, or any other team for that matter, to pay him that kind of money, his buy-in to the rebuild has to be unquestionable. When Doug Christie says jump, Sabonis has to do it asap and with a smile on his face.
Even if Sabonis gets behind Darius Acuff Jr. with the goal of helping him be the best point guard in the league, that still won't be enough. The Kings have three other bigs in Maxime Raynaud, Dylan Cardwell, and Precious Achiuwa who will cost under $10 million combined this season.
The reality is that the Kings don't need Sabonis. Even if they decide that they want him on the team, the front office could let him walk in free agency and renounce his Bird Rights to free up the cap space. Then, they could re-sign Sabonis for a lot less money, assuming he doesn't get a better offer.
A healthy Sabonis who is invested in the rebuild could be great for the Kings. That being said, it's impossible to envision a scenario where he's worth roughly $315 million over the next five seasons. Sabonis could play the best basketball of his career and would still not be worth that kind of money.
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