The Golden State Warriors have been speculated as a potential destination for All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis in recent times, with the Sacramento Kings set to make the 29-year-old and a number of other veteran players available ahead of the mid-season trade deadline.
However, don’t expect the Warriors to have too much interest in Sabonis like many have suggested, with NBA insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line pouring cold water on a potentially blockbuster trade for the 6’10” center.
Warriors aren’t expected to chase a trade for Domantas Sabonis
Forbes’ Evan Sidery put the idea on the agenda recently by floating a proposed trade that would see Sabonis and guard Keon Ellis head to Golden State, with Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Buddy Hield heading to Sacramento.
Yet even if the Warriors could mathematically make this work from a financial perspective, Fischer questions how many rotation pieces the front office would be willing to give up in order to acquire a player that would bring his own potential issues as an on-court fit.
“In truth I don’t think that the Warriors are going to factor into any Sabonis Sweepstakes. For a number of reasons,” Fischer wrote. “How many valued elements of its roster would the Warriors truly be willing to part with for a center who isn’t a floor-spacer or a rim protector?”
As wrote here earlier in the week, there’s far too many concerns for a Sabonis trade to prove worthwhile for Golden State, unless they’re so stuck in the mud that their desperate for some kind of circuit-breaker come the mid-season deadline.
The Jimmy Butler trade in February proved how that can work out terrifically, but Sabonis also doesn’t have the same history of winning at a high level in the playoffs. Combine that with his underwhelming defense, the spacing concerns with Butler and Draymond Green, and the fact he’s still owed over $95 million over the next two years beyond this one, and you have a situation that simply isn’t worth the investment from a Warrior perspective.
That’s not to say the Warriors won’t be active leading into the deadline, yet the Sabonis speculation may stem more from the fact the Kings have obvious interest in Kuminga than it does anything else. A deal between Golden State and Sacramento surrounding Kuminga is still a possibility, just don’t expect Sabonis to also be part of the transaction.
