The Sacramento Kings came close to a very different deadline storyline last February, one that would have sent Domantas Sabonis out of town and brought RJ Barrett to Sacramento.
According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, the Kings were nearly on the verge of dealing Sabonis to the Toronto Raptors in a move the big man would have accepted. The deal, Slater reported, was built around Barrett, but it never got across the finish line because Toronto could not clear the remaining money on Jakob Poeltl’s contract. That three-year, $84 million obligation ultimately killed the trade.
The Raptors have been linked to Sabonis for a while, so the report only sharpens the sense that the two sides were much closer than many realized. For Sacramento, it also underscores how quickly the roster could have changed with one deadline swing.
Barrett would have given the Kings another perimeter scorer, but fitting him into the rotation would have created a real minutes crunch. Sacramento already has Keegan Murray, De'Andre Hunter, Malik Monk, and Nique Clifford in the mix, which would have made the lineup puzzle a tricky one.
Sabonis, meanwhile, is still central to the Kings’ plans as the offseason approaches. He and Zach LaVine were both mentioned as possible trade candidates because of Sacramento’s cap situation, though both are expected to remain with the team at least through the start of the 2026 NBA season.
His 2024-25 season was cut short after just 19 games because of a torn meniscus, and that injury kicked off a rough stretch for the Kings. In that limited sample, Sabonis also dipped to his lowest scoring and rebounding numbers per game since the 2019-2020 season.
Still, there’s plenty of intrigue around what Sacramento could look like if Sabonis is paired with rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr. Acuff flashed as a high-level playmaker in NBA Summer League, and the fit is obvious on paper. Teams in Las Vegas were blitzing him in ball-screen action, trying to force the ball out of his hands.
That’s where Sabonis becomes such a dangerous release valve. In the short roll, against those coverages, his passing and touch around the lane can punish defenses fast.
Acuff could also help Sabonis get cleaner looks from the outside, and that matters for Sacramento’s spacing. Sabonis shot the 3-ball at the best rate of his career two years ago, but before his injury he had made just 5-of-27 from deep.
There’s also another frontcourt wrinkle to watch. Recent reporting from Spotrac’s Keith Smith says the Kings’ coaching staff wants to explore lineups with Sabonis and Maxime Raynaud together in the starting five, which would require one of them to stretch the floor.
Raynaud showed some growth as a 3-point shooter during his rookie season, and a Kings assistant coach told Smith at Summer League, "Did you see him stepping out to shoot it more?" The coach added, "We think that’ll be part of his game moving forward."
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For Sacramento, the chatter is worth watching because the Kings have already surfaced in proposed framework conversations as teams around the league try to map out where Williams could land. Nothing has been finalized yet, but if Chicago keeps pushing for picks and a cleaner roster direction, the Kings could wind up part of a larger chain of movement before the dust settles. [Read more 🡒]