With a potential roster rebuild on the horizon for the Sacramento Kings, trade rumors are starting to fly fast and furious. A potential suitor for Domantas Sabonis is already popping up in the form of the Golden State Warriors, a move that would blow minds across the NBA.
A few years ago, the Kings had two young point guards, De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton. When the front office decided to get out of the Haliburton business, a trade was organized with the Indiana Pacers that brought Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento. The move looked good at first.
De'Aaron Fox made a solid partner for Sabonis, with coach Mike Brown figuring out how to put the big man to work. Sabonis is a reliable double-double machine, but that doesn't mean much if the team can't put that production to good use. That's how the short Beam Team Era was built.
Now that Fox and Brown are gone, Sabonis is still getting double-doubles, but his production is down. Both his points and his assists are well below where they should be. Brown understood how to run the offense through Sabonis. Despite Christie being there for that time, he doesn't seem to get that.
Sabonis on the trading block
As part of the rebuild, top players like Sabonis will likely be traded, a move that makes a lot of sense at this point. If the Kings want a stronger defense, he's not the right center for them. Domantas is known for several aspects of his gameplay, but his defensive presence is not one of them.
One of the teams already in the rumor mill for his services is the Golden State Warriors. This chatter is fueled solely by external speculation, not anything said by either organization. Still, it actually makes sense. The Warriors' offense is constructed in a way that would work well with Sabonis.
At the same time, the Warriors have a few players the Kings should be looking at. Quinten Post, Moses Moody, and Brandin Podziemski would bring the youth and talent that Sacramento needs for their rebuild. It's also an opportunity to revisit the Jonathan Kuminga trade from the offseason.
How this rebuild progresses remains to be seen, but trading Sabonis would send it in the right direction. He is a great player, there's no question of that. Still, he's no longer the right fit for Sacramento, and Sacramento isn't the right fit for him. It's time to move on.