As time goes on, it's increasingly clear that the Sacramento Kings want Domantas Sabonis to stick around with the organization. And the feeling is mutual.
If you recall, it was only a few short months ago that Sabonis re-affirmed his commitment to the organization, following the play-in loss in April. There were plenty of talks about a trade throughout last season, but he seemed to shut them down, at least temporarily.
"First of all, I want to say I love it here," he said after the Kings' 120-106 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. I want to stay here. I want to win here."
For those who want to see Domantas bridge the gap between Sacramento's last contending season and their next one, this is obviously a nice thing to hear. But I'm not entirely sure this is what the majority of the Kings' fanbase wants to see.
As of right now, Sabonis still has three years and $140 million remaining on his contract. That's a lot to pay any player if he's not a superstar. But it's also a lot to consider when you look at the direction the Kings have been taking over the last couple of seasons.
2022-23 was obviously a dream outcome. Sacramento ended their longstanding playoff drought and earned an unprecedented top-three seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Since then, it's been a steady backslide into the bottom half of the West standings.
Sabonis is staying with the Kings, but is that for the best?
As the Kings look to return to the level of success they reached over two years ago, do you want to keep Sabonis on the roster? He's still obviously an excellent player, so conventional wisdom would say yes. At the same time, do you want to have him as your best player? That's where I think the conventional wisdom would say no.
We know how talented an offensive engine Domas is. He's one of the best rebounders in the game, and his offensive abilities when it comes to his court vision and dribble drives are top tier among interior players in this league.
It's the specific limitations his game has that don't make him a viable number one option for any team reasonably trying to compete for a championship. Sabonis doesn't provide nearly the kind of lockdown defense or floor-spacing ability you would want from a starting center that's consistently playing at an All-Star level.
So with that in mind, I think a lot of Kings fans would agree with me that this team would be best suited if they can get a true number one star to support Sabonis. In that scenario, his talent would be able to shine that much more.
Sacramento is clearly leaning into keeping Domantas Sabonis on their roster. The only way that's the best outcome, however, is if they improve his supporting cast and get him a co-star.