The standout play of rookie center Maxime Raynaud has been possibly the best part of the Sacramento Kings' 2025-2026 season. But at some point, Domantas Sabonis is going to come back from injury, and the Kings are going to have to choose between the two centers.
Sabonis has been the starting center for the Kings since they traded Tyrese Haliburton for him in 2022. For most of his career, he's been incredibly durable. Not so much this season, as he has missed the vast majority of 2025-2026 so far due to a myriad of injuries.
It's been well over a month since his last game, and it'll be close to a month before his potential return. That's assuming the Kings don't trade Sabonis between now and then. On the upside, rookie center Maxime Raynaud has filled the gap at starting center incredibly well and isn't slowing down.
In last night's loss to the Clippers, he picked up his sixth double-double this season. He's consistently scoring in double digits. Plus, Raynaud is also a stronger defensive presence than Sabonis. And that's all in the first several weeks of his NBA career. There is a problem just around the corner for the Kings.
What happens when Domantas Sabonis makes his big return?
The Kings want to trade Sabonis, but he's a center who only plays well when the offense is run through him, has next to no defensive presence, and has a massive contract. There are a limited number of teams that have interest in that kind of player at that kind of price.
While many pundits feel fans have seen the last of Sabonis in a Kings' uniform, there's no guarantee of that. If he does return to Sacramento's lineup, the coaches will have to make a hard choice at the starting center position, between working towards the future or sticking with the past.
Being that the Kings are putting tens of millions of dollars into Sabonis each season, having him play off the bench seems unlikely. At the same time, that doesn't mean they have to keep him on the court for 40 minutes per game. They cannot let Raynaud's development slacken, not even for a second.
While the Kings are still in the basement, it's undeniable that they have been playing noticeably better with Raynaud as their starting center. However it happens, the Kings will eventually have to permanently transition from Domantas Sabonis to Maxime Raynaud at the position.