The Sacramento Kings need to trade Domantas Sabonis in order to avoid getting stuck in middle-of-the-pack purgatory, but it may be more difficult than it should be. Sabonis is a great playmaker, and he can be the focal point of an elite offense, but very few teams around the league need a center like him.
Sabonis is a very unique player, and there aren’t many guys like him around the league. The two that come to mind are Nikola Jokic and Alperen Sengun. One of those guys is one of the best players to ever step foot on an NBA basketball court, and the other has an elite group of defenders around him.
The harsh truth is, it’s hard to build around that archetype of player.
Why do the Kings need to trade Domantas Sabonis?
The Kings are stuck. They have an okay roster, but based on what the rest of the Western Conference looks like, it’s probably not good enough to guarantee a playoff spot. That puts them in a very dangerous position.
Being stuck in the middle might be the worst possible place to be in the NBA. There’s very little hope of landing a high draft pick, but also little hope of making a run in the postseason.
With teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, and Golden State Warriors out West, the Kings are likely staring at a fight for the Play-In.
At some point, despite their success a few years ago, they need to come to the realization that a tear-down is needed. And that starts with Sabonis.
Why will trading Domantas Sabonis be hard?
As noted, not many teams around the league need a center. And the ones that do probably can’t afford to pay one as expensive as Sabonis, who is slated to make over $40 million in each of the next three seasons, including nearly $50 million in the final year of his contract.
Plus, most teams around the league already have a defined play style. In order to incorporate Sabonis into an offense, it has to be tailored to him, to a degree. And when a team is going to be paying him as much as he makes, it may not be worth the price.
Thus, the Kings’ brutal position.
Sabonis is a great player. Extremely talented. But the Kings should be looking to trade him. Yet, with his style of play and the money he makes, that could prove much more difficult than it should be.