Now is the Perfect Time for the Charlotte Hornets to Acquire Domantas Sabonis

Nothing gets the content machine whirring like Domantas Sabonis trade rumors.

So here we are again, talking about a potential deal between the Sacramento Kings and the Charlotte Hornets that would send the three-time All-Star back to the Eastern Conference. B/R's Jake Fischer commented that the Hornets could 'still be in the mix' for Sabonis as we barrel towards training camp.

If you've followed my work for awhile, you'd know that I've generally been opposed to this type of move. I'm bearish on Sabonis' long-term outlook as it is clear that his level of play has dipped in recent years. Nagging injuries have slowed the already heavy-footed big man, forcing him to play more center instead of power forward, which is a struggle because he offers minimal rim protection at this point in his career.

It's tough to build a workable defense with Sabonis as your back line defender, and the Hornets don't have the requisite perimeter defenders to insulate him.

Combine that with Sabonis' lack of floor spacing (the shooting percentages look fine, but the volume just isn't there) and you get a difficult piece to build a starting five around.

All of that being said...I've been able to talk myself into Charlotte acquiring Sabonis before the season starts.

With a few caveats.

The Trade Package

According to Spotrac, a trade of Grant Williams, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Tidjane Salaün for Sabonis works financially. Picks would need to go from Charlotte to Sacramento as well in this scenario.

Charlotte has an overflowing war chest of future assets at their disposal. A move for Sabonis wouldn't be an 'all-in' move, but it would start chipping into the deep reserves of picks, which I have no problem with depending on how much of that draft capital goes out.

Would Sacramento be interested in the 2027 first-round pick from Miami? Would Jeff Peterson dangle some of the Minnesota swaps he received in the LaMelo trade? It's hard, because that's what the market says Sabonis would be worth, but the Kings are within their right to demand more. If the price for him goes beyond those low-value draft assets, Charlotte should walk away.

Sabonis' Role

If the Hornets trade for Domantas Sabonis at this juncture he'd have to be coming off of the bench, right?

The projected starting five (White, Knueppel, Miller, Reid, Diabate) would remain unchanged, and Sabonis would come to Charlotte as a super-sub who would become the fulcrum of their bench units. He would make for an awesome lynchpin to come off of the pine.

Coby White just did this exact same thing. After being a starter in Chicago for the majority of his career, White embraced being a sixth man in Charlotte and parlayed that role into the lucrative contract extension he signed this summer.

If Sabonis is willing to back up Reid/Diabate, contribute to a winning team, re-up his league-wide value by positively impacting games, all while mentoring Hannes Steinbach, then this does feel like a win-win for him and the Hornets right now. I'm all for Charlotte acquiring Sabonis to be a part of it's bench mob a la White.

However, that might not be of interest to Sabonis because...

Sabonis' Impending Contract Extension

This is the crux of the whole situation.

Fischer's reporting on B/R centered around Sabonis' desire to land a contract extension with the franchise that Sacramento trades him to. This idea of 'pre-agency,' where teams acquire players during transaction windows with the intention of signing them to an extension when they become eligible (like James Harden and Cleveland, Trae Young and Washington, etc.) is en vogue right now.

Committing starter-level long-term money, which Sabonis is likely to demand, would be crushing for the Hornets. And based on their decision to trade LaMelo Ball before inking him to a multi-year deal, I wouldn't expect Charlotte to be keen on locking down Sabonis for anything more than $25M/year: the price of a solid rotation player, not a superstar.

If Charlotte does trade for him, I don't think an extension is likely to happen. I think the opposite is, actually.

I believe the Hornets would be acquiring Sabonis just so they could trade him away to go superstar hunting next summer.

Sabonis is set to make $45M in 2026-27 and $48.6M in 2027-28, the final year of his deal. That $48.6M expiring salary would be the perfect number to be used as matching salary in a deal for a disgruntled superstar.

Sabonis' expiring contract for salary relief + a boat load of picks + young talent = one of the most appealing packages for a superstar that any team in the league could conjure up. Not only will he help the Hornets as a super sub this year, he could also set up Charlotte's long-term future as a championship contender as a trade chip next summer.

After years of calling for Charlotte to sit out the Sabonis sweepstakes, I'm finally in. Now is the time to take the swing and trade for the Kings' big man.

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