The Sacramento Kings may finally be coming to their senses. For years, Sacramento has hovered around the NBA’s middle ground without a clear path forward. This season, even that baseline has slipped. Despite a recent four-game winning streak, the Kings sit at 12–30, near the bottom of the Western Conference, with little indication that incremental changes will alter their long-term trajectory. That context has sharpened the focus on the franchise’s most valuable asset: Domantas Sabonis.
League chatter has increasingly pointed toward Sacramento gauging the market for its three-time All-Star big man, signaling a possible pivot toward a broader reset. Sabonis’ on-court value remains clear, even amid an uneven season and an injury interruption. In 13 games, he is averaging 16.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 52.6% from the field.
He recently returned from a partially torn meniscus in his left knee, coming off the bench to log 13 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in just over 21 minutes in a win over Washington. That performance underscored both his efficiency and his importance — and why rival teams would at least explore what it might take to acquire him.
If Sacramento is truly prepared to listen, these three teams stand out as logical suitors.
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors have emerged as the most consistently linked team in Sabonis discussions, and the basketball logic is straightforward.
Toronto has prioritized playmaking across positions as it reshapes its identity. Sabonis, one of the league’s best passing centers, fits that vision naturally. His career average of nearly five assists per game offers a structural advantage at a position that typically anchors spacing rather than creation. In a motion-heavy offense, his ability to facilitate dribble handoffs and read cutters could elevate the Raptors’ half-court execution.
Defensively, Sabonis is not without limitations, but Toronto’s roster construction helps mitigate them. Long, versatile perimeter defenders can absorb tougher matchups and allow Sabonis to play within a more controlled scheme. The larger question is transactional rather than tactical: whether the Raptors would be willing to move a young guard such as Immanuel Quickley or reconfigure their asset base to meet Sacramento’s asking price.
If Toronto is serious about accelerating its timeline, Sabonis represents a rare opportunity to reshape its offensive ceiling without sacrificing identity.
Phoenix Suns
Any interest from the Phoenix Suns would be driven less by ideal fit and more by necessity. The Suns are operating without control of their own draft capital for the foreseeable future, making competitiveness a requirement rather than a preference. At 25–17, they remain firmly in the Western Conference playoff mix, and internal optimism persists around their upside as injured contributors return.
Sabonis fits Phoenix’s situation as a high-impact player whose market value may be more accessible than other stars. His skill set would diversify an offense that can lean heavily on perimeter creation, offering interior playmaking and rebounding stability.
The financial mechanics are complicated. Phoenix would need to part with a core rotation player or assemble multiple contracts to match Sabonis’ salary, a process that risks thinning already stretched depth. Still, if the Suns determine that maximizing the present is their only viable path, Sabonis is the type of player who could justify aggressive maneuvering.
Golden State Warriors
It is notable how often the Golden State Warriors are linked to major trade targets — and how rarely Sabonis is among them.
That omission is curious. Golden State’s offense has historically thrived with a playmaking center facilitating dribble handoffs and short-roll actions, particularly alongside Stephen Curry. Sabonis excels in that exact role, combining physical screens with elite passing instincts that would amplify Curry’s off-ball gravity.
Defensively, the pairing would require careful management, especially with perimeter lineups that already skew offensive. However, Draymond Green remains one of the league’s best communicators and organizers on that end, capable of compensating through positioning and scheme.
For Golden State, the calculus is less about perfection and more about urgency. With Curry in the latter stages of his career, marginal improvements may no longer be sufficient. Sabonis would not guarantee a return to title favoritism, but he would raise the Warriors’ floor and ceiling enough to justify serious consideration.