The Sacramento Kings may look to move former All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis, who missed a lot of time last season. Sabonis is likely to be moved by the trade deadline if so.
The Sacramento Kings have some big lineup adjustments to make this upcoming season, as rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr. takes the keys to the offense, and key pieces return to full health.
Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis are two players making close to $100 million combined this upcoming season, and played in just 58 games.
The return of these two offensively gifted players, along with the addition of Acuff, should mean fireworks on that end of the floor.
But, there are definitely some question marks on the opposite side, with LaVine and Acuff lacking strong perimeter defense at times.
Both players are strong candidates to be moved prior to the midseason trade deadline, especially if the lineup fit does not work.
On Tuesday, ESPN's Brian Windhorst made an interesting note about Sabonis' recent agency hire.
"He hired Aaron Mintz from CAA," Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective. "This last year Mintz executed the trade for Trae Young away from Atlanta. Walker Kessler trade away from Utah."
Sabonis is one of the more-likely players to be traded prior to the deadline, according to most betting agencies as well, with Kalshi having the odds as high as 71%.
The only two players with higher are Brandon Ingram and Kawhi Leonard, who are already in line to be moved if the investigations surrounding the Los Angeles Clippers are completed.
The continued development of second-year big man Maxime Raynaud is an additional argument to move Sabonis, as the reigning All-Rookie performer was the steal of last year's draft.
Last season, the Stanford product averaged 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds on stellar 57.1-percent shooting, holding down the Kings' front court during Sabonis' missed time.
Raynaud really turned it on after the All-Star break, earning Rookie of the Month honors in March.
The 7-foot-1 big man poured in over 17 points per game in his 15 appearances, joining Otis Thorpe and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only rookies in NBA history to record 250 or more points and 125 or more rebounds on at least 59-percent shooting from the field, according to a Kings press release.
But, like Sabonis, Raynaud is an offensive-focused big man, and leaving him on the bench could stunt his level of growth.
He looked extremely efficient in his recent FIBA appearances for the French National Team, backing up the center duo of Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert.
However, moving Raynaud into a starting role going forward would allow he and Acuff to grow as a pick-and-roll duo.
If Sacramento can solve the cap dilemma of LaVine and Sabonis by adding a quality wing or backcourt depth piece and a first-round pick at the deadline, it could be wise.
