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Domantas Sabonis vs. Maxime Raynaud: Who Is the Kings' Future Center?

The Sacramento Kings have a dilemma at their center position.
Eric Sperlazza|
Jan 16, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at Golden 1 Center.
Jan 16, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at Golden 1 Center. | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

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Sacramento Kings

As great as Max Raynaud was in college, no one could have predicted how well he would adjust to the NBA. The Sacramento Kings couldn’t have been luckier selecting him as the 42nd pick in the 2025 draft. With Domantas Sabonis on the roster, Raynaud was expected to be a backup, but injuries to Sabonis opened the door for Raynaud to take the starting spot for the year. 

While Sabonis is a former All-NBA selection and rebounding champ, there are some signs that the Kings should move forward with Raynaud instead.

Rewind

Domantas Sabonis is a great player when healthy and has multiple years as one of the best bigs in the league. The three-time All-Star and rebounding champ completely turned Sacramento’s fortunes in his first full season with the team. Domas operated as the hub of the Kings’ offense, putting up 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists per game while leading the Kings to the third overall seed in the Western Conference.

It would be questionable to argue that Sabonis has regressed, given that injuries were the primary factor; however, the playoff series against the Golden State Warriors highlighted some issues with relying on him as a scorer. It must be noted that he wasn’t completely healthy in this series either. Still, Sabonis struggled to score against Kevon Looney and has had similar struggles against other bigs with longer wingspans or superior athleticism. 

Sabonis’ interior scoring was a huge part of his game, and that, paired with his playmaking, made him an ideal offensive hub for Sacramento. Not being able to score 20 points per game wouldn’t be as big a deal if Sabonis were able to protect the rim and/or shoot from the outside. Other than maybe Victor Wembanyama, no center in the NBA is without flaws, but not all of them make over $45 million a year either.

New Blood

When Maxime Raynaud made it into the NBA, there were major questions about his conditioning, rebounding, and whether he could stick in the league at all. After a bit of a rough start, fans started to see what Scott Perry and the front office liked about the Stanford product. Raynaud finished the season averaging 12.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 59% from the field. 

While Raynaud isn’t the passer or rebounder that Sabonis is, he was excellent playing off Russell Westbrook all season and finding ways to be impactful without heavy usage. Raynaud took the vast majority of his shots in the 3-10 foot range and converted nearly 59% of those looks. He also very rarely created his own shot, with 82% of his two-point makes and 96% of his threes coming off assists.

I’m not here to tell you that Raynaud is this high-level rim protector, or that he will ever be. A 1.8% block percentage isn’t incredible by any means, yet it is a better mark than Sabonis has ever had in his career. Raynaud is over 7-foot barefoot with a plus wingspan that brings his standing reach to 9-foot-2, while Sabonis is closer to 6-foot-10 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan. That small difference is likely why Raynaud was able to be a bit more effective as a rim protector, even as a rookie. 

Why This All Matters

I apologize to anyone who might think Sabonis was still going to be the Kings’ centerpiece of the future; however, it just isn’t realistic. The Kings need a real number-one offensive option, and they can’t afford to keep paying multiple players who aren’t over $45 million every year. Whether that player is in the draft or via trade, the Kings will need to retool around them very soon. 

Sabonis is still a good player who will have value, but he fits in much better on a team that needs playmaking and rebounding, while having the defense in place to insulate his defensive issues. That team would also need some shooting on the wings as well to keep spacing intact, and those are two things the Kings do not have right now. With Raynaud, Sacramento can at least wait to see if he develops more while paying him just over $2 million per year.

It may be hard to find the right suitor for Sabonis, as it seemed to be during the trade deadline. The Toronto Raptors may not come back around after a relatively strong playoff run with a frontcourt that would not work around the Kings’ former all-star big man. Still, it makes sense for the Kings to continue to try to move Sabonis and allow Raynaud to grow. Between his touch, size, age, and contract, Maxime Raynaud is the better choice for a rebuilding team like the Kings.

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Eric Sperlazza
ERIC SPERLAZZA

Eric Sperlazza covers the NBA and Sacramento Kings for Sacramento Kings On SI.

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