Kings Receive Big Domantas Sabonis Injury Update Amid Trade Rumors

Domantas Sabonis has missed most of the season for the Sacramento Kings and it almost feels that he’s the forgotten man on the team. The complaints about the Kings’ offense have often disregarded the fact that they’re missing their primary creator from the last few seasons.

Part of that is the emergence of both Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell, and the fact that Sabonis has left a lot to be desired when it comes to rim protection. Still, he is one of the most impactful offensive players in the league, and it sounds like he may be closing in on his return to action.

According to a league source, Domantas Sabonis will be listed as questionable for tomorrow’s Sacramento Kings game. Sabonis has missed the last 27 games for the Kings and hasn’t appeared in a game since Nov. 16.
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) January 15, 2026

What the Kings Have Been Missing

Sabonis is one of the more polarizing players in the league, mostly because he isn’t the ideal center in the modern NBA. A center that isn’t respected from three or capable of protecting the rim effectively puts a ton of pressure on the other four players and makes team building much more challenging. The Denver Nuggets have made it work around Nikola Jokic, but Jokic is much more dangerous as a shooter and scorer while being bigger than Domas. The closer comparison is Alperen Sengun and the Houston Rockets, but many would argue that Sengun has passed Sabonis as well.

Due to Sabonis’ limitations and issues in the playoffs against the Golden State Warriors, he’s mostly been written off as an “empty” numbers guy. While the criticisms are fair, they often ignore the things he does as well as almost anyone at his position.

The first thing that has to be mentioned is his work on the glass. Sabonis hasn’t averaged less than 12 rebounds per game since the 18/19 season with the Indiana Pacers and pulled down nearly 14 a game last season. I always find that rebounding is one of the more underrated skills in the NBA, and it’s extremely impressive that Sabonis has been able to lead the league in that category three years in a row.

I'm told that Domantas Sabonis was a full participant at Kings practice today. I'm also hearing there's optimism that he could return to action as early as Friday night's game vs. Wizards.

He's missed the last 27 games due to a partial tear of the meniscus in his left knee. pic.twitter.com/igs1rQ4dab
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) January 15, 2026

The other aspect of Domas’ game that stands out is his playmaking, especially out of the high post. As the Kings’ offensive hub since arriving in Sacramento, Sabonis has averaged 7.2 assists per game in his three full seasons with the team, including 8.3 per game in 23/24. I would field any arguments here, but the Kings would not have been able to have their record-breaking offensive season in 22/23 with any other center not named Jokic or Embiid.

Why the Kings Might Not Want Him Back So Soon

It’s no secret that the Kings are looking at a multi-year rebuilding process and that Sabonis likely won’t be a part of their next phase. Rumors of the Toronto Raptors being interested have been brought up for a while now, and it remains to be seen what will happen at the deadline. While I believe Scott Perry would jump on a good offer for the three-time All-Star, there’s an argument for keeping him sidelined for a bit longer even if a trade doesn’t materialize.

The Raptors are trying to see what they can get with a combination of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Jakob Poeltl, per @JakeLFischer

“Domantas Sabonis has interest from Toronto. We've continued to report that, but it’ll be tricky to find an agreement there, being that the… pic.twitter.com/H1qBcdgZGS
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 14, 2026

The first reason is simply that the Kings should be protecting their chances of securing a top-three draft pick. I don’t need to belabor the point about how big a deal it would be to get a shot at a franchise-altering talent, but the teams’ recent success is a reminder that playing veterans isn’t always the best strategy to stay at the bottom of the standings.

With DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Russell Westbrook, and Malik Monk on the roster, the Kings’ floor is higher than their record shows. Even though the pieces don’t fit together in the slightest, they are all talented players capable of winning games for Sacramento. Adding a healthy Sabonis to that group will certainly raise that floor even higher, even if it didn’t look like it to begin the season.

Beyond the tanking agenda, there’s the development of Raynaud and Cardwell to consider. Raynaud has been much better than expected while taking over for Sabonis at the five, and giving him big minutes against the best bigs in the league has done wonders for his development. Cardwell has also been an awesome find on a two-way contract and is the most impactful player on the Kings in terms of on/off differential, according to Cleaning the Glass. Both players look to be big parts of Sacramento’s future, and will see a massive decrease in minutes when Sabonis returns.

The Crux

Apr 11, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) shoots against Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (right) during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The challenge with a team that needs to tear down and rebuild is that the players aren’t going to buy into that agenda, and can’t even if they wanted to. When Sabonis and the other vets are on the court, they’re playing for their next contract, career accolades, and to win games. While Sabonis’ return might not be good in the long-term, fans should still be happy to see the team’s best player back on the court.

What the Kings Have Been Missing

Why the Kings Might Not Want Him Back So Soon

The Crux

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