All-Star Center Could Be On Trade Market This Summer

This NBA trade deadline saw tons of big names being mentioned in trade rumors. Of course, some of those big names were actually traded. Players like James Harden and Anthony Davis will be finishing out the season on new teams. However, players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ja Morant were shopped by their teams, but no deal materialized. 

Now, in the aftermath of the deadline, players and teams are deciding whether to pick up those trade conversations again in the offseason or try to keep their player on the roster. 

Domantas Sabonis is an interesting case for this. The Kings have been listening to trade offers for him all season, but decided to hang onto him through the NBA trade deadline. 

Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported on where the Kings are at when it comes to trading Sabonis. 

“It is not seen as a certainty, according to one source briefed on the process, that the Kings will try again in the offseason to trade Domantas Sabonis after fielding in-season trade offers for the former All-Star big man. There are scenarios, I'm told, that would steer Sacramento toward keeping Sabonis — who has two seasons left on his contract after this one — that depend on how the Kings fare in May's draft lottery and whom they are able to select in a draft headlined by Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer.”

Sabonis isn’t the ideal player to roster during a rebuild. He is a high usage center that plays best as the focal point of the offense. If the Kings are looking to develop young talent, having Sabonis could help develop guards, but hamper the development of a young big man. 

Sabonis’ future in Sacramento will likely be decided on draft night when the Kings decide who they want to help rebuild with for the future.