For the past year, Domantas Sabonis has been rather coy about the Sacramento Kings' desire to trade him. Actions speak louder than words, though, and he just hired a new agent known for facilitating exits for players like Sabonis. The end of Domas on the Kings could be close.
Sacramento has spent the last year or so pushing forward on a rebuild of the roster. It's been needed for a long time. While they've been doing a good job of making the changes they can, primarily through the draft, current player contracts have presented a financial barrier to growth.
Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis combined are making nearly $100 million this season. Their contracts have made them difficult to trade. LaVine won't be an issue by the end of the season, as his contract will be done by then. Sabonis has two seasons left, but that may not matter either.
Reportedly, Sabonis has hired Aaron Mintz of CAA as his new agent. Mintz is known for brokering trades to move big-money players, including Trae Young and Walker Kessler. Sabonis hasn't spoken about wanting a trade, but taking on an agent with that specialty says volumes.
Sabonis leaving would be good for both him and the Kings
While there was a brief period of success in 2022-2023, the pairing of Sabonis and Sacramento hasn't yielded much. He remains one of the top centers in the league, without question. At the same time, if the Kings were going to be able to build something around him, it would have happened.
The Kings have two sophomore centers in Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell, who proved they have what it takes in Sabonis's absence last season. Sacramento sees them as the future of the franchise as they continue to develop and grow with the rebuild. To get there, they need minutes.
Sabonis is good, but he doesn't fit the rebuild. Having him around will inevitably slow down the development of Raynaud and Cardwell. Plus, Sabonis deserves to be on a team that sees him as part of their own future. That is most certainly not the Kings' current front office and coaches.
The other side of this is that Sabonis is looking for a big-money extension, and Sacramento is not going to give him that. There's basically no chance they're keeping him past the end of his contract after the 2027-2028 season. The sooner he can move on, the better off everyone involved will be.
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