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Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings has not played since November 16 due to a left knee injury.
The Sacramento Kings have been playing without Domantas Sabonis since mid-November, when he went down with a left knee injury. The Kings announce a massive update on Sabonis’ return from a partially torn meniscus in his left knee.
According to the Kings’ official injury report, Sabonis has been listed as questionable and could make his return on Friday against the Washington Wizards. He will likely get upgraded to available or downgraded to out depending on his evaluation before tip-off.
The Kings have only won eight games out of their last 27 since he went down with the knee injury on November 16 against the San Antonio Spurs. They enter the matchup versus the Wizards on a three-game win streak.
They earned wins over the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks, which all have a winning record. Sabonis’ return would certainly boost the Kings’ chances of extending their run.
Sabonis Participated in Thursday’s Practice
Sean Cunningham of KCRA News reported that Domantas Sabonis was a full participant in Thursday’s practice. It was a great sign for the Sacramento Kings, with Sabonis needing to leap over one more hurdle before getting cleared to return for the first time in two months.
Sabonis has only played in 11 games this season because of his injury. He was averaging 17.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.2 steals before he went down against the San Antonio Spurs.
It’s unclear when Sabonis injured his knee in the game since he was able to finish it, putting up 17 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and three steals in 36 minutes. He was then diagnosed with a partially torn meniscus in his left knee, as reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The lefty big man was initially given a three-to-four-week recovery timeline, but once his first re-evaluation was done, he was ruled out for another four to five weeks, as per ESPN.
It wasn’t the only injury that has plagued Sabonis this season. He had a hamstring strain in the preseason and missed two games in early November because of a rib issue.
Sabonis in Trade Rumors
Despite their current three-game win streak, the Sacramento Kings are not a very good team this season. They are just 11-30, which is the second-worst record in the Western Conference and the fourth-worst record in the NBA.
So it’s not surprising that there are trade rumors surrounding the franchise ahead of the February 5 deadline. Domantas Sabonis is an interesting candidate since he’s been plagued by injuries this season. But he has been a durable player for the majority of his career, plus he’s a two-time All-Star.
One of the teams linked to Sabonis is the Toronto Raptors, but according to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Kings are not going to make a trade just for the sake of it. They are unwilling to acquire lengthy contracts, which means they aren’t interested in players like Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl.
“The Kings have also let it be known that they are reluctant to take back long-term salary as part of any in-season business they might conduct,” Fischer said.
While Sabonis has a unique skillset similar to Nikola Jokic and Alperen Sengun, most teams are looking for defensive big men.
Juan Paolo David Juan Paolo David is a sports journalist covering basketball for Heavy. He has a decade of experience writing about the NBA and WWE. He’s currently based in the Philippines. More about Juan Paolo David
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