Celtics fans have had their eyes set on trade rumors for a foreign superstar big man in the trade market. But while those dreams of a Giannis Antetokounmpo deal appear to be dead, there’s another foreign big man who’s generating some trade rumors, and that’s Domantas Sabonis, of the Kings.
According to Jake Fischer, the Kings are looking to deal Sabonis this offseason, and the Lithuanian center has long been a rumored target for the Celtics. But hopefully, that ship has sailed for Boston fans - and it may have never even been on the table for Brad Stevens and the front office.
Sabonis is a solid player, an offensive hub who can play out of the post, the elbow, or the high post, and can put up nightly triple-doubles. But he’s not a true stretch big; his defense leaves a lot to be desired (and that’s putting it gently), he’s on the wrong side of 30, battled back spasms and a torn meniscus that only allowed him to play in 19 games last season, and he still has two guaranteed years left on his contract at over $45 million a pop.
That’s a lot of red flags for an aging big man who has never been able to anchor a playoff defense or offense. He’s a good complementary player, but his shortcomings make him incredibly hard to win with at the highest level. There’s a reason that his teams have never come close to reaching the promised land, and both the Pacers and Thunder have reached the Finals after moving on from him.
Sabonis is not a playoff player
Meanwhile, the Kings are wallowing away around the bottom of the league and haven’t won a playoff series in Sabonis’s five years with the team. He’s a stat-stuffer, but he’s never proven to be a winning player, and certainly not for a guy who’s going to eat up that much of the salary cap.
Beyond the fit concerns, the lack of defense and spacing, and the huge contract, the Celtics would have to match his salary in a trade. I can’t imagine the Kings think they’ll be getting major assets back in a trade, but they still need to take in upwards of $40 million, which means either parting with Jaylen Brown or Derrick White.
Both of those should be complete nonstarters for the Celtics, as they have two proven winners and two-way menaces who they know they can go to war with. I don’t think either player should be off limits, but if the Cs are going to move one of their core players, it has to be for someone a lot better than Sabonis.
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