Damontis Sabonis on the move to Sacramento in blockbuster deal Tuesday
Sabonis was a two-time all-star during his time in Indiana (photo courtesy of the Indiana Pacers on Twitter).
Former Gonzaga forward Domantas Sabonis is the newest addition to the Sacramento Kings roster after the Kings traded for him from the Indiana Pacers Tuesday.
Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb and Justin Holiday are the three players heading to Sacramento in exchange for Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson. The Pacers are also handing over their 2027 unconditional second-round pick.
With the NBA trade deadline coming up on Thursday, there has been a growing number of rumors for weeks that the Pacers were looking to offload either Sabonis or Center Myles Turner.
Sabonis’ contract, which goes until the end of the 2023-24 season before he becomes an unrestricted free agent, pays out $18.5 million for each of the next two years before earning him $19.4 million in the final year of his deal.
So far this season, the Portland Native Sabonis has been averaging 18.9 points, 12.1 rebounds and five assists per contest on 58% shooting. Sabonis played for the Pacers for the last four seasons after being traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder after his rookie year.
The two-time NBA all-star was drafted by the Thunder with the 11th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft after his sophomore year at GU. For the Zags that season, Sabonis averaged 17.6 points and 11.8 rebounds a game while shooting over 60% from the field.
He was traded alongside Victor Oladipo to Indiana during the 2017 offseason so the Thunder could acquire Paul George.
The GU veteran’s most recent move to Sacramento will see him team up with the likes of De'Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III on a team currently in 13th place in the Western Conference. The Kings have struggled to find a consistent roster while the team has battled injuries and COVID-19 protocols throughout the season and are currently 15 games under .500.
Sacramento has particularly struggled in the categories of interior defense and interior scoring this season. By adding a strong interior forward/center in Sabonis and Justin Holiday, who’s averaged 1.8 steals and is shooting 62.1% on attempts inside of five feet, the Kings are looking to make leaps in those areas of their game.
Jeremy Lamb was a consistent rotation option for the Pacers this season, and is averaging 7.1 points in over 15 and a half minutes of action a game.
The Kings haven’t made the playoffs since 2006 when they lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the first round.
The Pacers have received two guards in this trade after shipping off consistent back court starter Caris LeVert to Cleveland earlier in the week. Haliburton, the 12th overall pick in the 2020 draft, has already displayed his prowess as a floor general in not even two years of action. He’s averaging 6.3 assists to only 1.9 turnovers a game and is one of the league’s most efficient players working off a pick-and-roll.
Hield poses a significant perimeter shooting threat as a 40% 3-point shooter throughout his career. Hield’s scoring numbers have dropped a little this year, scoring 14.8 points per game after starting six of the 55 games he’s played in this year. The Pacers will look to insert him into serious rotation minutes and even potentially have him take over the starting shooting guard role from rookie Chris Duarte.
The Kings next game where Sabonis could take the court in his uniform will be against the Minnesota Timberwolves at home on Wednesday at 7 p.m. PST.
