Matt Johnson
Sacramento Kings general manager Scott Perry went into the offseason hoping to find a franchise-caliber point guard for the future and ways to shed payroll with the team built around a young core. That resulted in All-Star center Domantas Sabonis popping up in NBA trade rumors in June.
However, during a press conference this week, Sacramento’s lead decision-maker shared that he expects Sabonis to play a huge role in the team’s rebuild next season.
“Come in and compete just like everybody else. Obviously, he’s an excellent player. He’s done it for a while in this league. I’ve been in constant contact with him as well in the offseason. Just expect him to come in here healthy, first and foremost, and he’s trending in that direction. Obviously, he missed a lot of last year because he was not. He’s always played hard, and so I expect him to do that. Provide some veteran presence for this team and really have a tremendous rebound year and help us build some winning habits here and start heading in the right direction.”
Sacramento Kings GM Scott Perry on Domantas Sabonis (H/T NBC Sports Bay Area)
Talk of a Sabonis trade popped up in a few sporadic NBA rumors early in the summer. Both the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors were connected to the All-NBA center, but a deal never materialized. It also stands to reason that both teams would no longer be interested in acquiring him ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season given their offseason moves.
While the deal isn’t official, as it’s pending the conclusion of the NBA’s investigation into the Aspiration scandal, Toronto is set to acquire All-NBA forward Kawhi Leonard. That salary completely rules them out for a future acquisition of Sabonis, especially since Sacramento is unwilling to take on the Jakob Poeltl contract in a trade. Meanwhile, Charlotte filled its void at center with Naz Reid by trading away LaMelo Ball.
There’s another incentive for Sacramento to keep Sabonis next season. Under the NBA’s new draft-lottery system, teams in the bottom three of the NBA standings at the conclusion of the regular season will have worse odds of landing the first overall pick than the seven other clubs who missed the NBA Play-In Tournament. Sabonis will help Sacramento win games and that could mean a higher draft pick in the 2027 NBA Draft.
There’s one other factor that Perry is likely considering, too. Sabonis’ pick-and-roll game and willingness to shoot help him improve the play of the point guard he shares the court with. With rookie Darius Acuff Jr. poised to be the centerpiece of the team’s offense next season, competing for NBA Rookie of the Year, Sabonis’ skills should perfectly complement what Acuff brings to the table with the basketball in his hands.
