The Sacramento Kings nearly completed a deal that would've sent the big over to Toronto. So what's become the hold up?
The Sacramento Kings nearly sent Domantas Sabonis north.
The veteran big man's name constantly sprouted across NBA trade circles ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline. Sabonis became linked to the Toronto Raptors in what would've become the second major trade Kings general manager Scott Perry would pull out...
Except that idea first blew up as of Tuesday morning. But now appears to be not dead yet.
What became the reason behind the morning hold up? NBA insider Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints revealed the league intel that disrupted a Kings-Raptors deal.
"As the Raptors continue to discuss the potential of trading for Kings star big man Domantas Sabonis, a major hold-up in trade talks has been Jakob Poeltl's contract, league sources told ClutchPoints," Siegel wrote.
Siegel elaborated further on the latter name' current deal on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"The Kings want no part of Poeltl's contract whatsoever, so if there is a trade to be had here, a third team will need to come out of the dark between now and Thursday and want Jakob Poeltl," Siegel posted. "There's nothing to indicate that will happen right now."
The insider then eavesdropped two names on the Raptors' side who would've been part of the deal.
"While the two sides have the framework of a deal that also involves RJ Barrett and Ochai Agbaji, the Raptors big man would need to be sent to a third team willing to take on his contract," Siegel said.
Siegel added: "League sources have downplayed the possibility of a team taking on the remaining $103.5 million on Poeltl's contract through the 2029-30 season."
So Poeltl's massive salary is the holdup here. Which also helps paint this picture -- the Kings will be cautious about making any more money-altering deals.
However, Siegel hasn't officially ruled out Sabonis-to-Raptors yet.
Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroeder to the Cleveland Cavaliers helped free up finances on the side of Sacramento. Same with sending seldom used Dario Saric to the Chicago Bulls as part of that multi-team deal that went down on Saturday night.
Turns out the Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves became interested in Ellis. NBA insider Sam Amick of The Athletic cited the T-Wolves' growing interest in Giannis Antetokounmpo as why interest in Ellis started to fade. Benedict Mathurin, meanwhile, emerged as the obstacle on the side of the Pacers which botched a possible Ellis deal.
Now Sabonis will hang around longer for the Kings as the trade deadline comes to an end Thursday afternoon.
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