Sources: Kings make blockbuster trade to acquire Indiana Pacers All-Star Domantas Sabonis
Kings general manager Monte McNair made his first big move to transform Sacramento’s roster Tuesday, acquiring two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis in a blockbuster trade with the Indiana Pacers.
League sources told The Sacramento Bee the Kings agreed to a deal that will send Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson to Indiana in exchange for Sabonis, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and a lightly protected 2023 second-round draft pick. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Kings have been linked to trade talks for Sabonis for weeks leading up to Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. A source told The Bee in mid-January the Kings had stepped up their pursuit of Sabonis, but the Pacers were not interested in a package involving De’Aaron Fox, who is in the first year of a five-year, $163 million max contract.
Sabonis, 25, is averaging 18.9 points, 12.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.0 blocks for the Pacers this season. The 6-foot-11, 240-pound power forward/center is in the second year of a four-year, $74.9 million deal. He is owed $18.5 million next season and $19.4 million in 2023-24.
Sabonis is a gifted big man who will make an immediate impact for a team that ranks 22nd in the NBA in rebounding and 24th in rebounding percentage. It remains to be seen whether the Kings will start Sabonis at power forward or center. Richaun Holmes, the team’s current starting center, is in the first year of a four-year, $46.5 million deal. According to Basketball Reference, Sabonis has logged 51% of his minutes at power forward and 49% at center this season.
Holiday, 32, is a 6-6 small forward who has started 40 games for the Pacers this season. He is averaging 11.0 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 37.8% on 6.9 3-point attempts per game. He is owed $6.3 million next season in the final year of a three-year, $18 million deal.
Lamb, 29, is a 6-5 shooting guard who was averaging 7.1 points and 2.4 rebounds in a backup role for the Pacers. He is making $10.5 million this season in the final year of a three-year, $31.5 million deal.
The Kings (20-35) won’t have Sabonis, Holiday or Lamb when they play the Minnesota Timberwolves (28-25) on Tuesday night at Golden 1 Center. There is a possibility they could be available when the Kings play the Timberwolves again Wednesday, but players must pass physicals before the trade can be finalized.
The Kings will visit the Washington Wizards on Saturday, the Brooklyn Nets on Monday and the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 16 before the All-Star break arrives.
The Kings are currently 13th in the Western Conference, two games behind the New Orleans Pelicans for the final play-in spot. With pressure mounting within the organization, McNair has sought to bring an All-Star caliber player to Sacramento in an effort to end the franchise’s record-tying 15-year playoff drought, but the Kings had to pay a hefty price.
Haliburton, 21, has emerged as one of the most promising young players in the league since coming out of Iowa State as the No. 12 pick in the 2020 NBA draft. The 2021 Rookie of the Year finalist is averaging 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals in his second season.
Haliburton scored a career-high 38 points in a 103-101 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 29 and recorded a career-high 17 assists in Saturday’s 113-103 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. He has flourished in recent weeks as the team’s primary distributor, averaging 9.1 assists over the past 19 games.
Hield, 29, departs as the franchise’s all-time leader in 3-point goals with 1,248. Hield spent parts of six seasons in Sacramento after being acquired in the trade that sent DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2017.
Hield’s numbers have dropped considerably since he signed a four-year, $94 million extension with the Kings in 2019. Hield averaged 20.7 points per game while shooting 42.7% from 3-point range in 2018-19, but this season he is averaging 14.4 points while shooting a career-low 36.8% from beyond the arc.
The Kings have been shopping Hield since the summer of 2020, but his contract and defensive deficiencies made him difficult to move. The Kings nearly pulled off a trade that would have sent Hield to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell last summer, but the Lakers pivoted to acquire Russell Westbrook instead.
Thompson, 30, has appeared in 30 games for the Kings this season, averaging 6.2 points and 5.4 rebounds.
This story was originally published February 8, 2022 at 10:59 AM.
