The Raptors and Kings have been tied together in Domantas Sabonis chatter for a while now, but the fit looks a lot less urgent on Toronto’s side than it did earlier in the conversation. With the new season approaching, the bigger question isn’t whether Sabonis is available - it’s whether the Raptors still need to chase him at all.
Sacramento has been trying to move Sabonis around the league for much of the past year, and only two teams have really surfaced in the discussion: the Hornets and the Raptors. Charlotte’s offseason moves in 2026 appear to have taken them out of the picture, leaving Toronto as the more realistic name still hanging around.
The Raptors did come the closest to landing him. At the 2026 trade deadline, the two sides were nearly able to get something done, but Jakob Poeltl’s contract stood in the way. Toronto’s center was under multiple years of team control, and that was the kind of money Sacramento was trying to avoid taking back.
That same obstacle still matters. If Toronto were to get Sabonis now, Poeltl would almost certainly have to be moved.
The Raptors would need the salary room and the roster space to make it happen. But even with that limitation, their center picture has changed enough that the urgency is not what it once was.
Kawhi Leonard’s return to the 6ix has made Toronto’s need for a more impactful starting center easier to see. Poeltl can hold down the spot, but he doesn’t produce like Sabonis. Still, that doesn’t automatically mean the Raptors need to force this particular deal.
Toronto has more options at the five than it did before. Collin Murray-Boyles is listed primarily as a power forward, but he can also play small-ball center. Add in Poeltl, Trey Jemison III, Trayce Jackson-Davies, and Nate Bittle, and the Raptors suddenly have a center rotation that could support Leonard and Scottie Barnes without making a major swing for Sabonis.
For Sacramento, the challenge is different. Sabonis has two years and nearly $100 million left on his deal, and that contract has been a big reason the Kings have struggled to find a taker. The longer this drags on, the easier it might become to move him, but there’s still no certainty that a deal materializes.
If a trade does happen, the 2027 trade deadline looks like Sacramento’s best shot. That’s the kind of moment when teams chasing a postseason push might be willing to pay for a high-scoring center who also rebounds and passes at an elite level.
Whether that team is Toronto remains unclear. The Raptors could still be in the mix if they decide they need a proven double-double machine at center to make a run. But if Toronto is satisfied with what it already has, the Kings’ search for a Sabonis trade partner may take a lot longer.
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Kings Are Testing How Much Ben Simmons Can Change This Team
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For a Kings team looking for ways to get more out of its lineup, Simmons offers a different kind of piece than the usual perimeter scorer or spacing-first forward. The challenge is obvious, though, because his limited shooting still shapes how he has to be used, and camp is now less about whether he fits and more about how far Sacramento can push his value without compromising the rest of the roster. [Read more 🡒]