In true Sacramento Kings fashion of pushing rumors out about potential big deals and then not actually following through, it is being reported that Domantas Sabonis will remain with the team beyond tomorrow’s trade deadline, according to Sam Amick.
“All signs point to Sacramento big man Domantas Sabonis remaining in Sacramento past tomorrow’s deadline. Per team sources, the Kings view the prospect of sending him to the Toronto Raptors as flat-lined, so to speak.”
We have been hearing for quite some time now that the Kings and Raptors have been in talks about swapping Sabonis for RJ Barrett. That is all over, at least for now, according to Amick.
“The Raptors had shown strong interest in recent weeks, with the Kings looking to land RJ Barrett ($27.7 million this season; $29.6 million next season) in the deal while moving off of Sabonis’ hefty contract ($42.3 million this season, $45.4 million next season and $48.6 million in 2027-28). The deal would have required Raptors big man Jakob Poeltl to head elsewhere, with Memphis showing some interest after moving Jaren Jackson Jr. to Utah, but the Raptors are reluctant to attach the necessary draft capital to make that necessary component happen. As such, it appears that this is a scenario that will be revisited by both sides in the offseason.”
This isn’t really surprising. This follows the pattern of what happens basically every trade deadline. Big rumors swirl around the Kings. What actually happens is underwhelming and doesn’t change much.
Of course, there is still time for more to happen. The next rumor is the one is around Ja Morant. We shall see.