Report: Hornets Won't Trade Draft Picks to Acquire Kings' Domantas Sabonis

The Charlotte Hornets are interested in trading for Sacramento Kings big man Domantas Sabonis, but Charlotte will not part ways with draft picks to acquire the lefty, according to NBA insider Zach Lowe. 

Sacramento is asking for picks from Charlotte and the Hornets have said no. 

Charlotte has two first-round selections in the upcoming draft (14, 18). The Hornets have been resistant to including one of those first-round picks thus far in a trade package involving Sabonis.

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.

The Kings are nowhere close to being a playoff team. They are in deep rebuild mode.

Meanwhile, the Hornets are in win-now mode. They came one win shy of making the playoffs this season for the first time since 2016. 

A three-time All-Star, Sabonis appeared in only 19 games for the Kings this season because of a knee injury. 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.

It will be intriguing to see if the Hornets make any big trades this summer. Most people who cover the NBA believe Charlotte is one piece away from being a contender in the East. 

Sabonis isn't a superstar, but he's a talented rebounder and playmaker who would undoubtedly make Charlotte more formidable. The big man projects to be a great fit with LaMelo Ball since he's a gifted pick-and-roll player. 

However, the Hornets are not going to trade draft picks to pair Sabonis with Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel. If the Kings want to part ways with Sabonis, they will either have to trade him to Charlotte without getting picks or find another team. 

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