Sacramento Kings big man Domantas Sabonis has been involved in trade talks all summer. Throughout the offseason, both the Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets have been listed as potential destinations. Currently 30 years old, the three-time NBA All-Star has two more seasons and $94 million remaining on his current contract. Dealing with injuries throughout the 2025-26 season, Sabonis played in just 19 games, averaging 15.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.2 blocks.
With a split between Sabonis and the Kings potentially on the horizon, NBA insider Jake Fischer indicated that "Charlotte is a team that could still be in the mix depending on Sacramento's trade price." As Fischer mentions, Sacramento's asking price is important,
as the Hornets' front office is unlikely to be frivolous with their draft capital, considering the amount of assets that they've stacked up over recent seasons.
To complicate matters slightly, Charlotte cannot use their $40 million trade exception to acquire the former Gonzaga center. That said, a deal between both sides could make sense if the Kings were willing to acquire the veteran salaries needed to complete the trade. At the moment, recent acquisitions Royce O'Neale, Grayson Allen and Dennis Schroder cannot be aggregated in other trades, following recent deals that brought them to the Hornets. If acquired, Sabonis, a two-time All-NBA selection and a three-time rebounding champion, could add another dynamic to Charlotte's offense, which relies heavily on 3-point shooting.
For more NBA content, check out the BasketBaltes podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/@BasketBaltes/videos
https://www.instagram.com/basketbaltes/
This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: NBA insider: Hornets 'could still be in the mix' for Domantas Sabonis
