With the trade deadline closing in, rumors were flying about the Sacramento Kings dealing Domantas Sabonis to the Toronto Raptors. Obviously, that didn't happen. Those rumors are popping up once again, though it's hard to see it happening as the trade makes way more sense from the Kings' angle.
The Kings want to move on from Sabonis as the focus at center is switching to Maxime Raynaud. With two years left on his contract worth almost $100 million, a buyout is unlikely. That means Sacramento has to trade the All-Star big man. It's a move that has proven to be difficult for them to pull off.
Sabonis has his positives, mainly scoring and rebounding. If a team runs their offense through him, he can produce. The problem is that it's not enough to make a team a contender. Plus, if you don't run the offense through him, he's nowhere near as effective on that end of the court.
On top of that, Sabonis isn't great on defense. Combining those issues with a bad/expensive contract, and finding a trade partner isn't easy. The only team seriously rumored to be interested was the Raptors, and that was more about the Kings wanting to move him than Toronto wanting him.
How it might go down for the Kings, the Raptors, and Sabonis
A big reason the Raptors keep getting mentioned is the Kings' general manager Scott Perry. When he was the Knicks' GM, he drafted R.J. Barrett. Reportedly, Perry remains a fan and wants to bring him to Sacramento. That being said, Barrett is a core Raptor who they are unlikely to part with.
Honestly, any trade that involves Barrett is unlikely to get much traction from the Raptors. Plus, bringing Sabonis and using him effectively means huge changes to how Toronto runs their offense. That doesn't even take into account the lack of presence he brings to their defense.
If the Kings want the Raptors to take trading for Sabonis seriously, they need to change targets. They would have better luck trying to get players like Brandon Ingram, A.J. Lawson, Gradey Dick, and Jonathan Mogbo. And they'll have to be willing to take on Jakob Poeltl's incredibly silly contract.
The reality is that Sacramento is far more desperate to make a move in this scenario than Toronto is. If they want rid of Sabonis now, the Kings will have to dance to the tune played by their trade partner. Otherwise, they'll just have to deal with Sabonis hanging around for another season or two.
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