The Sacramento Kings' reigning All-Star center is back for another season, sporting a brand new beard. More importantly, he's ignoring all the talk of trades over the summer. That's the right move, as the Kings aren't moving Domas anytime soon. They might as well get used to him being around.
Every single person who pays even the slightest amount of attention to the NBA is fully aware that the Kings want to trade Sabonis. That includes the man himself. He has to know that the Kings have had semi-serious conversations with teams like the Raptors and the Hornets about moving him.
Obviously, those conversations have gone nowhere as he's still in Sacramento. There are two reasons for that. First, any team that trades for Sabonis gets his overly expensive contract worth nearly $100 million over the next two seasons. That's a lot of money for a center who doesn't defend well.
The other roadblock is the Kings themselves. They are determined to get a big offer in return for Sabonis, despite the fact that the rest of the league doesn't see him that way. Sacramento's asking price for Domas is reportedly way too high and is preventing teams from locking in on him.
We all know where Sabonis is going...
And that would be nowhere. Not until the end of his current contract, at least. That's also something Sabonis seems to be factoring into his career. Ever since talk of the Kings trying to trade him started, he has largely brushed any such discussions off in public. Sabonis is confident in his position.
At the same time, he knows Sacramento wants to move on. They currently have two sophomore centers on the roster in Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell, whom they're betting heavily on. Additionally, there are reportedly plans to go after Jalen Duren if he becomes available.
Unless the Kings lower their asking price, trading Sabonis before his contract runs out in the summer of 2028 is highly improbable. It's not impossible, but still not particularly likely. Again, Sabonis and his management team are likely aware of all of these details. It kind of puts him in the driver's seat.
If the Kings manage to pull off a trade, Sabonis still gets his payday and hopefully moves to a contender. If they don't trade him, he gets the same payday and a couple of seasons in Sactown to hopefully rehab his image before hitting the open market. It's a win-win situation for the big man.
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