The Sacramento Kings have spent 2026 floating through trade chatter, but one name keeps coming up more than any other: Domantas Sabonis. The deadline noise came and went without a major move, and the offseason has stayed mostly quiet, yet the veteran center remains one of the most discussed pieces on the roster.
That discussion has started to miss the bigger picture. Sabonis is coming off a rough 2025-26 season, one that was derailed by injuries and ended with a torn meniscus.
He appeared in only 19 games, and when he was on the floor, he never quite found his rhythm. His numbers dropped to 15.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, with shooting splits of 54.3/18.5/72.7.
That version of Sabonis is not the one Sacramento has lived with for most of his time there. A season earlier, he put up 19.1 points, 6.0 assists, and an NBA-best 13.9 rebounds per game while shooting 59% from the field and 41.7% from three. From the 2022-23 through 2024-25 seasons, he led the league in rebounds every year and averaged at least 19 points and 6 assists in each of those campaigns.
The only three players with 1.5K points, 1K boards and 500 dimes in a season...Wilt, Joker... and now Domantas Sabonis 🔥 pic.twitter.com/TAZXVkmrCd
That’s why it feels off to talk about him like he’s already on the downside of his career. Yes, the Kings are widely expected to be one of the NBA’s worst teams again, and yes, the front office has every reason to listen if teams call. But the idea that Sabonis can’t still matter is a stretch.
He has already shown what he can do when healthy in Sacramento. In two of his three fully healthy seasons with the Kings, he made All-NBA Third Team and finished top-eight in MVP voting. That’s not the résumé of a player who should be dismissed because of one injury-hit year.
Domantas Sabonis becomes the first player since 1977-78 with...✅ a triple-double✅ NO turnovers✅ NO missed shots✅ NO missed free throwsFlawless night from the Kings center! pic.twitter.com/k08WUHHdSp
The Kings also have a future at center beginning to take shape behind him, with Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell both coming off strong rookie seasons. That gives Sacramento options, and it explains why Sabonis keeps surfacing in trade conversations.
Still, if he’s healthy, he can raise the floor. That matters for a team trying to climb out of a disappointing 2025-26 campaign. With Sabonis, Darius Acuff Jr., Zach LaVine, Keegan Murray, and a supporting cast that should keep improving, Sacramento might not be as easy to write off as the broader league seems to think.
In Other News...
Kings Suddenly Face A Tougher Zach LaVine Decision Than Expected
Zach LaVines Sacramento future has become one of the more interesting decisions facing the Kings this summer, with the conversation no longer centered just on what he can do on the floor but on how long he might stay in the building. The relationship piece matters here, too: LaVine has reportedly built a positive connection with rookie Darius Acuff Jr. and has also gotten along well with the Kings front office, giving Sacramento at least some reason to believe the partnership could last beyond a short-term stop.
The problem is that the market is not offering many easy outs. LaVines salary narrows the pool of realistic trade partners, which makes a clean move harder to engineer and leaves the Kings weighing whether to keep him in place or push toward an extension path. For now, both sides seem to have reasons to stay engaged, and that alone makes this one worth watching as the offseason unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Rebuild Just Left Two Veteran Names In Very Different Spots
The Kings offseason reset has already produced two very different veteran outcomes, with DeMar DeRozan waived as Sacramento continues reshaping the roster around a younger core. Even with the move, DeRozans name should stay active around the league because of the steady scoring and efficiency he still brought last season, making him the kind of experienced wing contenders can plug in without changing their whole identity.
Russell Westbrooks path is less settled, and Sacramentos decision not to bring him back leaves his next step hanging in the air. The Kings are moving on as part of the rebuild, but Westbrooks future now depends on how teams value what he still offers and whether the market lines up with what he is looking for. [Read more 🡒]
These 3 Kings Role Players Could Decide Everything Next Season
With DeMar DeRozan waived and Russell Westbrook gone in free agency, Sacramento is heading into a different kind of season, one built less on star power than on how well the supporting cast holds together around Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and rookie Darius Acuff Jr. The Kings have enough talent at the top to stay interesting, but the real question is whether the pieces around them can steady the rotation and give the offense some much-needed balance.
Malik Monk, De'Andre Hunter and Maxime Raynaud are the names that could swing that answer. Monk is in line for a bigger responsibility after an uneven year, Hunter brings another layer of wing help, and Raynaud has already shown enough to suggest he can be part of the long-term solution in the frontcourt. For a team trying to reset without taking a step backward, those role players may end up deciding whether Sacramento merely survives the transition or finds a cleaner path forward. [Read more 🡒]