Matt Johnson
The Sacramento Kings enter the offseason needing to overhaul their roster, shed payroll and find a young player to build the franchise around. With NBA rumors starting to swirl this summer, new intel is emerging on what the Kings’ front office is planning.
James Ham shared on a recent episode of Locked on Kings that Sacramento’s front office is “intent” on moving off one or more of their large contracts this summer. Of that group, Ham noted that All-Star big Domantas Sabonis has the most value.
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The Kings’ payroll for the 2026-27 season is projected to be just under $200 million. For a club that won just 22 games last season and a franchise that is notorious for being run by an owner with tight pockets, there’s no way to justify the money invested into the roster.
Zach LaVine is the team’s highest-paid player once he exercises his $48.967 million player option for next season. While he does have slightly more value than he did at the NBA trade deadline last year, that’s because he is now on an expiring contract.
The team would also probably like to move off the Malik Monk contract, with the guard owed $20.19 million this season with a $21.582 million player option for the 2027-28 campaign. DeMar DeRozan is still under contract as well, but only $10 million of his $25.74 million salary for the upcoming season is guaranteed.
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That leaves Sabonis as the most valuable veteran who Sacramento could trade. He’s under contract for the next two seasons, earning $45.472 million this year. While his defensive limitations and salary diminish some of his trade value, he remains the Kings’ most valuable trade chip this summer.
Of course, before Sabonis can be traded, NBA teams will likely want to see where Giannis Antetokounmpo ends up. So Sacramento will be playing the waiting game to see what the trade market looks like for Sabonis.
