Atlanta Hawks Named Best Trade Landing Spot for Sacramento Kings' Domantas Sabonis

The Atlanta Hawks have been named the best trade landing spot for Sacramento Kings big man Domantas Sabonis by Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. 

Sacramento is expected to trade Sabonis this offseason and Pincus believes the lefty would be a good fit in Atlanta alongside All-Star forward Jalen Johnson. 

"Sabonis is one of the more talented offensive bigs in the league and a steady rebounder," Pincus wrote. "Where he struggles is on the defensive side of the ball, but that's a strength of Atlanta's roster, which features long, rangy, hard-working athletes.

"The Kings need to restart badly. They won't get No. 8 from the Hawks, but No. 23 for Sabonis could make sense, along with players like Zaccharie Risacher, Buddy Hield, and/or Corey Kispert. Sacramento had previously registered interest in Jonathan Kuminga when with the Golden State Warriors."

Sabonis will make $45,472,000 next season and $48,608,000 in the 2027-28 season. He's better suited to play for a contending team at this stage of his career and the Kings are nowhere close to being a playoff team. They are in deep rebuild mode.

Meanwhile, the Hawks are in win-now mode with Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker leading the way.

Atlanta lost to the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2026 playoffs in six games. Johnson and Co. won two games against the Knicks, who won the championship this year against the San Antonio Spurs.

New York lost only once after getting past Atlanta in the first round. That shows how close the Hawks are to being a title contender. 

A three-time All-Star, Sabonis appeared in only 19 games for the Kings this season because of a knee injury, but he's said to be healthy again. He averaged 15.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 54.3% from the field, 18.5% from beyond the arc and 72.7% from the free-throw line.

Sabonis has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana Pacers and Kings. He has career averages of 16.1 points, 10.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.

Sabonis isn't a superstar, but he's a talented rebounder and playmaker who would undoubtedly make Atlanta more formidable offensively. 

It will be fascinating to see if the Hawks pursue a trade for Sabonis this offseason. A "Big 3" of Sabonis, Johnson and Alexander-Walker could make things interesting in the East next season. 

Hawks Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Hawks. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.