The Sacramento Kings are doomed, or at least that's what it feels like. A little over a week ago, the team announced that Domantas Sabonis will miss four to five additional weeks due to a partial meniscus tear in his left knee. Based on that, he could return at the end of January, but that's not guaranteed. If you had any remaining hope that the team could turn things around, think again.
Sacramento is 8-25, sitting in second-to-last place in the West, six games back from No. 10 Portland. The Kings did recently pull off a surprise 125-124 win over the Rockets on Dec. 21 and beat the Mavericks, who were without Anthony Davis, over the weekend, but neither did much to make fans feel hopeful about this season.
It's already felt like Sacramento's season was over, but after the confirmation that Sabonis will be out for several more weeks at least, that truly felt like the end. Not that you need the reminder, but it's only December. If we're being honest, it's felt like this since October, when the Kings won only one of their first five games.
Things have already reached a point where the front office has signaled that it will be a buyer at the deadline. Sabonis' name has popped up as a player who could be on the move before the 12 p.m. PT buzzer on Feb. 5, but his injury complicates his status. Still, there's a chance he's already played his final game with the Kings.
The earliest Domantas Sabonis will return is the end of January
Zach LaVine, who last played on Dec. 14, is the team's leading scorer, averaging 20.2 points per game, followed by DeMar DeRozan, who is averaging 18.5 points. Sabonis is third, but he's played only 11 games this season. There is a good chance that when the deadline passes, at least one of those players won't be around, if not more. At least that's what the Kings are hoping for.
NBA insider Jake Fischer previously reported that new GM Scott Perry is open to taking calls for anyone on the roster, except Keegan Murray and Nique Clifford. Most front offices are still waiting to determine their direction at the deadline, wanting to see more from their team, but the Kings know what route they want to take.
As much as fans would like to be discussing the Kings' chances of returning to the playoffs with Sabonis, that ship has sailed. Instead, a trade is more likely, but even then, Sacramento may not get what it wants in return.