New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Domantas Sabonis to Portland, Hawks Add 3&D Wing

The Sacramento Kings are in a very strange position this offseason. They made the play-in tournament, but the Mavericks dominated them in a 120-106 blowout. As a result, All-NBA center Domantas Sabonis is not a guarentee to be in Sacramento long-term. NBA insider Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints had this to say about the situation:

“Many around the league are preparing for the possibility of the Kings becoming big sellers ahead of the 2026 NBA trade deadline next February, which would likely result in Sabonis requesting a trade should a clear direction not present itself.”

Even so, Siegel has made it very clear as of late that the Kings have no interest in shopping Sabonis themselves.

"The Kings have not been contacting teams gauging trade interest in Domantas Sabonis. Although Sabonis has heard his name come up in recent rumors, Sacramento has not shown any interest in parting ways with the 29-year-old star big man to this point."

If the right offer comes along, though, it would be hard for the Kings to say no. They are currently built around a core of Sabonis, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Keegan Murray, but is that even worthy of a play-in spot in a stacked Western Conference? It might be worth turning the All-Star big man into long-term players and draft capital capable of ushering in the next era of Kings basketball.

One possibility that was recently floated by Zach Lowe of the Ringer is for Sabonis to end up with the franchise that originally drafted his father, Arvydas Sabonis. Portland took a step forward last season with the emergence of Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara while Donovan Clingan had a strong rookie season for the Blazers. Could they make a big move to get themselves back into playoff contention? Lowe had this to say about the possibility of a Sabonis trade.

"Can I give you my favorite Sabonis destination, and one that I think is actually somewhat realistic? There are copious Sabonis to Portland trades that are workable [and] make sense... Sabonis makes sense in Portland. His dad played there. That would be kind of a fun one, but I don't necessarily know if there is a realistic road map to it.

If the two teams try to make something happen, it is extremely likely that they would need a third team to take on salary and facilitate the deal. The Hawks have a ton of financial flexibility this summer, which they can use to address their needs at interior defense, front court depth, shooting, and maybe a backup lead guard/ball handler. NBA insider Marc Stein has already reported that Atlanta could also look to be facilitators this summer in the trade market due to their financial flexibility, depending on if the team brings back any of Caris LeVert, Clint Capela, or Larry Nance.

Given the needs of all three teams, what would a trade between them look like? Here is one possible framework for a deal.

It should be noted that this is just a speculative and fun exercise to see what kind of moves can be made, not what I think the Hawks or any other teams should do or will do. That is all.

Hawks Receive: Jake LaRavia (S&T on 3 YR, $33M contract)

Blazers Receive: Domantas Sabonis

Kings Receive: DeAndre Ayton, Scoot Henderson, 2025 1st round pick (via ATL, #22), 2029 1st round pick (via POR, unprotected)

Why the Hawks would do this deal: LaRavia is an interesting evaluation because he fell out of the rotation in Memphis before having a nice little run with the Kings. He played 19 games in Sacramento, shooting 38.5% on 2.7 attempts per game. He's a solid finisher and plays good defense, which is especially valuable to Atlanta considering their struggles in the absence of Jalen Johnson. Furthermore, he's only 23 years old and could have untapped upside considering how long wings take to develop. The back half of the 2025 NBA Draft is significantly weaker than expected due to many players going back to school - it makes sense for the Hawks to take a swing on a young wing with potential.

Why the Hawks would not do this deal: Adding LaRavia to the roster on a new long-term deal is especially risky because he hasn't shown a ton in his career so far. While the Hawks unearthed a gem in Dyson Daniels, hoping for a similar result from LaRavia would be very risky. Furthermore, Atlanta is sending out a first round pick to make this happen, which always carries some risk.

Why the Blazers would do this: Sabonis is a good fit specifically for the Blazers because they can deploy him on offense while having a rim protector to cover up for his defensive liabilities. He took strides as a shooter from deep this season (career-best 40% on 2.2 attempts per game) and had the best rebounding season of his career. He isn't a true floor spacing center, but his playmaking, rebounding and ability to create offense for himself allow him to become a primary or secondary source of offense for Portland. The combination of Sabonis and Clingan would be absolutely dominant on the boards while the Blazers would still be able to keep Camara and Avdija in the lineup.

Why the Blazers would not do this: There are significnat questions about how good a team helmed by Sabonis can really be and it's fair to wonder how the fit with Clingan would work on offense because Sabonis isn't a true floor spacer and Clingan is a complete non-shooter. Center is also a very deep position for the Blazers, so they may not want to go all-in on one. Furthermore, it would be very difficult for the team to part ways with Henderson so soon after drafting him with the third overall pick.

Why the Kings would do this: They net two-first round picks in the deal and get the point guard that they are reportedly looking for. Henderson had a dismal rookie season, but he showed signs of improvement in his second year. While his shooting is still a question mark, his three-point percentage rose from 32.5% to 35.4% this season on slightly higher volume. Sacramento has proven scrorers in LaVine and DeRozan to help Henderson focus on honing his abilities as a facilitator rather than also relying on him to take on a significant scoring load. Getting Ayton in a contract year is also an interesting gamble. The last time he was in this situation, he averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds this past season, shooting 63.4% from the field and 74.6% from the foul line. Although the Suns were embarassingly eliminated by the Mavericks that season, Ayton has anchored a Finals-level defense and been a third option in the past. It's possible that being a notable part of the offense could help him deliver a consistent impact as a scorer. Furthermore, if the deal doesn't work, his contract expires at the end of the season.

Why the Kings would not do this: Although Sabonis wasn't a perfect player, they are still losing a significant amount of playmaking through this move. Sabonis has posted AST% above 30% in each of the two seasons before 2024-25 and still averaged 6 assists last year in a down year as a passer. Neither of the two players Sacramento is acquiring can replicate what he brought as a passer. Furthermore, neither of these players can really help the Kings' defense, which was a problem last year despite having talented defenders like Keegan Murray, Keon Ellis and Devin Carter.

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