How Hanging On To Sabonis Makes Life Harder for Kings

The Sacramento Kings were quiet on the day of the trade deadline, and Domantas Sabonis stayed with the team for better or worse.

Feb 1, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) takes a shot before a game against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings have been involved in about as many trade rumors as any team in the league. Ja Morant was linked to the Kings as the Memphis Grizzlies look to move their star guard as part of their impending rebuild. Malik Monk, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine were all on the trade block, and the loudest noise of all was around Domantas Sabonis and the Toronto Raptors. In the end, the Kings were not able to move on from Sabonis, and there is a big chance that it could come back to bite them later on. 

There will be no Domantas Sabonis trade, sources say. He’s sticking in Sacramento.

— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) February 5, 2026

Why The Kings Might Have Been Asking For Too Much

The reported deal with the Toronto Raptors included the caveat that the Raptors would need to send Jakob Poeltl elsewhere, as Sacramento had no interest in his contract, according to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, among other sources. I’m not going to argue that the Kings should have taken on Poeltl’s contract; it is one of the worst in the league, and two first-round picks may not even be enough to take it on. While the Raptors were seriously interested, the bigger miss on the Kings’ end may be not agreeing to a deal with the Washington Wizards. 

The Wizards also recently dangled Khris Middleton and a pick to the Sacramento Kings for center Domantas Sabonis, a source said. But Sacramento wanted more for Sabonis.

— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) February 4, 2026

Now, we have no idea what “a pick” means in this scenario. It could have been a very protected first, and it could have even been a second-round pick. I can understand the Kings’ hesitancy to part with Sabonis without receiving a first-round pick, especially after not returning one in the Keon Ellis trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers. On the other hand, there’s a chance that the Kings have been overvaluing their former All-Star center.

Fans may point to Anthony Davis being traded for two first-round picks, but there are asterisks to that. First, Davis is simply a better player than Sabonis when he’s healthy, and it isn’t particularly close. Second, the picks that Dallas received are not very valuable. Given that, Sabonis may not be worth more than a late first-round pick or even a few second-round picks. For Sacramento, moving on from Sabonis isn’t simply about what you can get back; it’s about the plan going forward. 

How Hanging On To Sabonis Impacts The Rest Of The Season

Feb 4, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward/center Domantas Sabonis (11) rebounds tagainst Memphis Grizzlies guard Cedric Coward (23) during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

The Kings are in a position to develop their younger players while ensuring they keep their lottery odds as high as possible. Dylan Cardwell and Maxime Raynaud are more part of the Kings’ future than Sabonis at this stage, but trying to find playing time for them while having the Lithuanian star on the roster isn’t going to be easy. Sabonis has had his share of injuries this season, including a lingering back issue that just came up recently. The question is, can we expect Sabonis to sit back and play less than 20 minutes per game?

I'm starting to like Dylan Cardwell. Please give this a listen!

"In college I averaged 5 points per game, I rebounded the ball five times per game, I averaged like 1.6 blocks per game. No one thought I was an NBA player. I'm not supposed to be here. I'm living my childhood… pic.twitter.com/Tmj0T7KFzr

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) January 22, 2026

Not only do the Kings need to find time for Raynaud and Cardwell, but they also have to make sure they don’t win too many games. The Kings are going to be in a battle to stay at the bottom of the standings with teams like the Utah Jazz, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, and Brooklyn Nets all looking forward to landing the top pick in the 2026 NBA draft. The Kings don’t necessarily have a tough end-of-year schedule either, including playing the Jazz and Nets four times. With Sabonis still in the fold, will the Kings hurt their draft position and miss out on a top-three pick?

Won’t More Teams Be Interested Over The Summer?

Teams will indeed have access to capital in the summer that they don’t currently, but who will have their sights set on Sabonis? The Raptors may still end up interested in Sabonis when the offseason hits, but the Poeltl issue will still be there. Other than Toronto, I’m having trouble seeing any other teams that would be interested in bringing in a 30-year old big man that doesn’t provide any floor spacing or rim protection. According to Databallr, the Kings are nearly 16 points worse with Sabonis on the floor this year, and much of that is due to how difficult it is to build a lineup around him.

Sabonis doesn’t meaningfully change the ceiling of the team, and while he addresses rebounding, passing and screening they need from that position, he’s an undersized center who’s not a good rim protector + can’t shoot.

Even if the idea is that they aren’t looking to extend RJ… pic.twitter.com/cyUpcP0fXi

— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) February 4, 2026

Similar to the “scoring guard” archetype, big men who cannot protect the rim or space the floor are becoming a thing of the past. Looking around the league, the majority of contenders employ centers who can at least do one of the two. Victor Wembanyama, Jalen Duren, and Isaiah Hartenstein all bring a lot more defensively than Sabonis, while Nikola Jokic and Karl-Anthony Towns are capable of providing a lot more offensively. The closest comparison may be Alperen Sengun, but he’s become a far better defender than Sabonis at just 23. 

Databallr also has the trio of Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan at a -27.8 net rating on the season; for that reason, I don’t see Sabonis’ value increasing even if he stays healthy. The argument against what I’m explaining is that he will have a year less on his deal, and the Kings shouldn’t compound mistakes by taking pennies on the dollar if a better offer may come along. I hope their thinking is correct, but I can’t lie and say I’m not incredibly skeptical that they made a mistake not taking the offer from Washington.