The Sacramento Kings' season is already going off the rails. They are once again toward the bottom of the Western Conference at 3-9. The future does not look too bright in Northern California, which leaves the question: Will the Kings trade some of their assets?
The biggest and most obvious trade piece is that of power forward Domantas Sabonis.
The Kings traded with the Indiana Pacers for Sabonis in February 2022. It was a sign the team believed it could ‘win now.' Sabonis was traded along with Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb, and a 2023 second-round pick to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson.
Sacramento would go on to win 48 games that season and finish as the #3 seed in the West. However, they flamed out in the playoffs. Since that time, each season has gotten worse, increasing the frustration of fans. That is particularly true given the fact that Haliburton led the Pacers to a win away from an NBA Championship.
With the 2025-26 season on pace to be the worst since that trade, it only makes sense to rebuild. Teams around the NBA know it.
The Athletic's Sam Amick recently joined the SacTown Sports podcast, in which he detailed what he has heard.
“The reason they [the Kings] were comfortable doing the Keegan Murray contract is because — partly at least — they not only valued him within their program, but they learned that he’s got a lot of value around the league. So, as it relates to Sabonis, my understanding is there are at least a few teams that have raised their hand to say, ‘Yeah, he’s somebody we’d want to talk about.’
The Kings power forward is posting a double-double yet again this season. He is averaging over 15 points and 12 rebounds per game. However, his shooting percentage and overall scoring is well down from year's past. Meanwhile, he is still a liability defensively.
Only the Brooklyn Nets are allowing more points per game, with the Kings giving up 124.5. The 6′ 10” forward struggles to protect the rim, with just one block in nine games this season.
