NBA Trade Rumors: Kings exploring deals for Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan with rest looming

Just a couple of years ago, the Sacramento Kings had one of the most promising backcourts in the game. Fast forward to today, and De'Aaron Fox is playing with Victor Wembanyama in the San Antonio Spurs and Tyrese Haliburton just led the Indiana Pacers to the NBA Finals.

Now, the Kings have a Big 3 of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis. However, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee reports that this might change pretty soon.

Apparently, the team could look to part ways with DeRozan, who's coming off a strong season, but it's still most likely heading to the backend of his career.

“The Kings are expected to explore trades for DeMar DeRozan, a six-time All-Star who averaged 22.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists this season while shooting 47.7% from the field and 32.8% from 3-point range" Anderson said.

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"DeRozan has two years and $50.5 million remaining on the three-year contract he signed with Sacramento last summer. He is owed $24.8 million next season and $25.7 million in 2026-27."

Shockingly, they could also reportedly look to test the market for Sabonis, who's currently the and centerpiece of their roster:

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"Sacramento could also test the market for Domantas Sabonis," Anderson added.

Sabonis is coming off a strong season, averaging 19.1 points, a league-leading 13.9 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game.

However, he struggled to contain some of the league's toughest big men, and his trade value might not get much higher as he approaches the end of his contract.

Kings could hit the reset button

The Kings will reportedly be in the mix to land a starting point guard, which seems like a disservice after giving up on both Haliburton and Fox. And if they move on from Sabonis and DeRozan, that will ultimately leave LaVine as the last man standing in Northern California.

Nevertheless, as good a player as LaVine is, he failed to step up and lead the Chicago Bulls to postseason contention, and the Western Conference isn't a walk in the park.

That would leave the door wide open for the Kings to move on from LaVine and his big contract, which will be easier said than done, given his history of injuries.

More than that, it would essentially lead to yet another full-scale rebuild for a franchise that finally looked to be on the right track.

About the author

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

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Edited by Krutik Jain