Domantas Sabonis Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Wiseman, Mann, Coffey, Sabonis, Davis

March 16th, 2022 at 9:20am CST by Dana Gauruder

James Wiseman‘s third and perhaps final G League game with the Santa Cruz Warriors should temper expectations regarding his impact, according to Taylor Wirth of NBC Sports Bay Area. Wiseman ran the floor well but even though he contributed 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes, he also committed six turnovers on Tuesday. The Warriors’ big man has a long way to go to regain his offensive rhythm but he’s only expected to play 12-18 minutes per game during the team’s stretch run.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

The Clippers decided not to add a point guard at the trade deadline or through the buyout market. That looks like a wise move in the aftermath of their overtime loss to Cleveland on Monday, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times writes. With Reggie Jackson getting a rest, the Clippers had 29 assists and just 11 turnovers with Terance Mann and Amir Coffey among the ball-handlers initiating the attack.
Kings forward Domantas Sabonis said this week that he intends to play for Lithuania in the EuroBasket tournament this summer, James Ham of ESPN 1320 tweets. He was a member of the Lithuanian National Team during the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Even if Anthony Davis returns soon from his foot ailment, it won’t fix the Lakers, Bill Oram of The Athletic opines. LeBron James has acknowledged that it may be too late to develop chemistry and maximize the team’s potential. “It puts a Band-Aid on some things,” he said of Davis’ potential return. “But I mean, we just haven’t had enough chemistry, enough time with our group to be able to know exactly who we are and who we can become.”

Pacific Notes: Booker, Bridges, Sabonis, Vogel, Kidd

March 10th, 2022 at 11:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Suns guard Devin Booker didn’t experience any symptoms after testing positive for COVID-19, he told Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. The Suns star was frustrated he had to sit out four games despite not feeling sick.

“That’s the tough part about it,” he said. “Not feeling anything and not being able to play. I don’t even know why people are getting tested that much anymore.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Mikal Bridges believes this Suns team is superior to the one that made the Finals last season, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “I felt like that early in the season, like I was looking around and this team I feel like is better, and then (we kept) adding guys,” he said. “It made me realize like, yeah, this is team is better than last year.”
Domantas Sabonis has two years left on his contract and he’s hoping he can help the Kings end their playoff drought during the next two seasons, he told Sam Amick of The Athletic in a wide-ranging interview. “It sucks that we have that drought, but the fact that we can be part of something that can turn it around, you know, that’s the goal. Come in and change the perspective of this organization and what people think,” he said. “We’re excited that we can be part of that and build it, you know? So I want to stay as long as I can. Everything has to go well, (but) I’m happy here.”
The Lakers likely would have fired Frank Vogel by now if Jason Kidd was still on the staff to take over in the interim, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin said on The Woj Pod (hat tip to NBC Sports’ Dan Feldman). “I think we both agree, if Jason Kidd, was still on this staff, they would’ve made a coaching change,” Wojnarowski said.

Pacific Notes: Westbrook, Kings, Ranadive, Wiseman

March 10th, 2022 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

Having faced criticism for his underwhelming play with the Lakers throughout the 2021/22 season, former MVP Russell Westbrook told reporters this week that he believes some of the disrespect he has received from fans this season has crossed a line.

“When it comes to basketball, I don’t mind the criticism of missing and making shots. But the moment it becomes where my name is getting shamed, it becomes an issue,” Westbrook said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “… ‘Westbrick,’ for example, to me, is now shaming. It’s shaming my name, my legacy for my kids. It’s a name that means, not just to me, but to my wife, to my mom, my dad, the ones that kind of paved the way for me.”

Westbrook said he no longer feels comfortable bringing his children to games because he doesn’t want them to hear the comments he gets from fans — or to face any harassment themselves. His wife, Nina Westbrook, stated on social media this week that she has had “obscenities and death wishes” sent her way.

Addressing his point guard’s comments, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel indicated on Wednesday that he and the team are throwing their support behind Westbrook and his family, according to Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group.

“He’s an important player for us, he’s a part of our family,” Vogel said. “And anytime a player is feeling that type of impact at home with his family, that is a big concern and should be handled with care. And I hope people can respect what he had to say postgame the other night, because it should never come to that.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report considers how the Westbrook situation might play out this summer, suggesting that it wouldn’t be out of the question for the Lakers to waive or buy out the 33-year-old, stretching his $47MM salary for 2022/23 across three seasons to gain more short-term financial flexibility. One source told Pincus the Rockets hope to revisit a potential Westbrook/John Wall swap, but other sources were skeptical the Lakers would have any more interest in that scenario this summer than they did during the season.
The Kings were the latest team to take part in what has become a trend this season, issuing a statement on Wednesday to say they disagreed with the NBA’s decision to suspend Domantas Sabonis. Previously, the Heat stated that they disagreed with the league’s decision to take away a second-round pick for their early pursuit of Kyle Lowry in free agency, while the Bucks publicly took exception to Grayson Allen‘s one-game suspension.
According to Scott Soshnick and Brendan Coffey of Sportico, Kings owner Vivek Ranadive is preparing a bid for English soccer club Chelsea FC, which is currently up for sale. Sportico recently projected Chelsea’s value to be $3.35 billion.
With James Wiseman nearing a return, Anthony Slater of The Athletic explores how the Warriors might use him down the stretch, especially when they’re trying to build momentum for the postseason and also reintegrate Draymond Green. In Slater’s view, dedicating a few minutes per half to a second unit led by a Jordan Poole/Wiseman pick-and-roll game could make sense for Golden State.

Domantas Sabonis Receives One-Game Suspension

March 9th, 2022 at 12:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Kings center Domantas Sabonis has been suspended without pay by the NBA for one game, the league announced today in a press release. Sabonis will serve his suspension on Wednesday when the Kings host the Nuggets in Sacramento.

According to the NBA, Sabonis’ suspension stems from an incident that occurred during the fourth quarter of Sacramento’s loss to the Knicks on Monday.

After being hit with a technical foul for his reaction to a foul call, Sabonis “reacted demonstratively again in the vicinity of the game official, and approached and bumped the official in a hostile manner,” per the league. He was assessed a second technical and ejected from the game.

The NBA posted a video of the incident on its website.

The suspension will cost Sabonis $127,586, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). That amount is 1/145th of the 25-year-old’s $18.5MM base salary for 2021/22.

With center Richaun Holmes also unavailable on Wednesday for personal reasons, the Kings will be without their top two centers when they take on Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. Chimezie Metu and Damian Jones will likely take on increased roles. Alex Len could also see action, though he hasn’t been part of Sacramento’s regular rotation for nearly two months.

Kings Notes: McNair, Fox, Sabonis, Haliburton, DiVincenzo

February 13th, 2022 at 4:13pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Kings team president Monte McNair is confident that new addition Domantas Sabonis will fit well alongside pricey star point guard De’Aaron Fox, per Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter).

“We think [Sabonis’] skillset complements De’Aaron,” McNair said. “De’Aaron’s skillset complements him. And Domas’ skillset complements just about everybody.”

McNair discussed his decision to move promising young guard Tyrese Haliburton to the Pacers in a package for Sabonis, writes Anderson in a separate story.

“This was a unique opportunity to acquire a two-time All-Star and two veteran wings [in Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb], all [of] whom will help us, as we continue to build here in Sacramento,” McNair said.

Sacramento, which has not made an NBA postseason since 2006, is hoping that its new-look roster can at least lead it to the play-in tournament. The team’s current 22-36 record positions it just 1.5 games behind the current No. 10 seed, the Trail Blazers, with plenty of time to catch up.

There’s more out of Sacramento:

Domantas Sabonis is enjoying his tenure with the Kings thus far, writes Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. In two contests with his new club, both wins, the 6’11” power forward/center is averaging 19.0 PPG, 12.5 RPG, and 6.0 APG. “Since the second I made it to the NBA, I figured out the hard way it’s a business,” the two-time All-Star said after his first game. “I got traded on draft night, and then a year later, I got traded again. I’m just trying to find a home where I’m loved … and I feel like I found it here. I love it here.”
Not everyone is excited about the Kings’ decision to move on from an exciting young prospect like Tyrese Haliburton. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic tries to make sense of the Kings’ choice to trade the 6’5″ guard, who had been Sacramento’s top performer this year, to Indiana. Vecenie pegs the 21-year-old Haliburton as a future All-Star, one capable of doing well with or without the ball in his hands. Vecenie acknowledges that the pairing of Sabonis and Fox could help the team in theory, though Fox has regressed so far this season and Sabonis could reach free agency in 2024. As a second-year NBA player, Haliburton could have been under team control for significantly longer.
New Kings shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo is relishing his opportunity in Sacramento, writes Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. The Kings initially tried to land DiVincenzo in the scuttled sign-and-trade deal for Bogdan Bogdanovic at the start of the 2020/21 season, then finally got their man as part of a four-team deadline day trade. “It was meant to be,” DiVincenzo said. “That mutual respect and wanting to be here and them wanting me here, it’s a super good feeling and it makes you want to go out and play as hard as you can for not only the team, but also the organization.” Though DiVincenzo has had a down year after returning from a June left ankle surgery, the Kings are hopeful that he can return to being the solid two-way contributor he was with for Bucks during much of the 2020/21 season. “I think he’s a very versatile defender,” Kings interim head coach Alvin Gentry said. “We can play him on ones, twos, threes. I think he does a good job of getting into the ball. I think he understands rotations and things like that. “

Pacers Notes: Haliburton, Hield, Turner, Brogdon, Smith, Sabonis

February 11th, 2022 at 8:47pm CST by Rory Maher

New addition Tyrese Haliburton said the Kings gave him no indication that he might be traded to the Pacers or any other team, as Wheat Hotchkiss of Pacers.com writes. “It’s just overwhelming,” Haliburton told reporters on Thursday, following his first practice with Indiana. “I had no idea, they gave me no indication this was happening.”

Haliburton said it’s hard not to feel a little circumspect entering a new city after being hurt, but he’s still excited for a fresh opportunity.

“It’s scary, right?” he said. “I’ve put a lot of love, a lot of trust in Sacramento and kind of immersed myself in the community and with the people. They got rid of me, but you know that’s part of the business. I think that’s kind of my best trait. It’s like somebody who just loves hard. I want to be here. I want to be a part of it.

“It can be the biggest upside, but it can be a big downfall, too. It hurt when I got traded because I loved being there and I loved the people, but coming here I’m going to do the same thing. They’ve shown me nothing but love since I’ve gotten here and they’re another organization taking a chance on me (when) they have no reason to. So I’ll put everything I’ve got into it.”

Here’s more from Indiana:

Buddy Hield, who was also part of the trade, said it was “a shift that was needed,” after a disappointing season in Sacramento, Joel Lorenzi of The Indianapolis Star relays. “Just want to go there and do what I do best, shoot the ball and try to make opportunities for my teammates,” Hield said. “Just bring the positive energy I can bring to this team.”
Coach Rick Carlisle said Myles Turner (stress reaction in foot) will be out through the All-Star break, but Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles soreness) is “close” to returning. Neither player has an official timetable, James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star tweets.
If Jalen Smith plays well with the Pacers, he might price himself out of Indiana for an unusual reason, according to Nat Newell of The Indianapolis Star. Smith, who the Pacers acquired in a trade that sent Torrey Craig to the Suns, had his third-year team option declined by Phoenix, making him an unrestricted free agent this summer, but with one big caveat — Indiana can only offer up to the amount of his declined option, which was $4,670,160.
Two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis, who was sent to the Kings as part of the trade that brought Hield and Haliburton to Indiana, thanked Pacers fans on Instagram recently, Newell writes in a separate story for The Star.

Lowe’s Latest: Gasol, Bucks, Suns, Pacers, Kings, Sixers, More

February 11th, 2022 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

With Brook Lopez sidelined indefinitely, the Bucks and center Marc Gasol, who is currently playing for Girona in Spain, had discussed the possibility of a possible late-season deal, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN (Insider link). However, Lowe suggests that a union “does not appear to be in the cards” now that Milwaukee has acquired Serge Ibaka.

It’s worth noting that the Bucks have three open spots on their 15-man roster following the trade deadline, so there still could be room for Gasol down the road, and it’s not like he and Ibaka haven’t had success teaming up in the past — the two vets played key roles for the 2019 champion Raptors. Still, Milwaukee may be looking to address other positions with those open roster spots, and there’s no guarantee Gasol will look to return to the NBA when his season is over in Spain.

Here are a few more highlights from Lowe’s post-deadline roundup:

Sources confirmed to Lowe that the Suns and Pacers had brief discussions about Deandre Ayton and Domantas Sabonis, which was first reported by Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Fischer suggested the two teams might be exploring the idea of an offseason sign-and-trade involving Ayton, and Lowe agrees that the talks seem to have been just exploratory and informal, possibly aimed at the future rather than present. Indiana subsequently traded Sabonis to Sacramento, which could eliminate the possibility of any future deal with Phoenix for Ayton, but Lowe points out that the Suns’ willingness to consider shaking up their roster – even in the offseason – is noteworthy.
Before acquiring Sabonis, the Kings approached the Hawks about John Collins, but they didn’t discuss Tyrese Haliburton or De’Aaron Fox in that context, says Lowe.
Lowe expects the Sixers to explore the buyout market for a backup center, since there’s no guarantee that Paul Millsap will bounce back in Philadelphia and Charles Bassey is unproven.
The Spurs explored ways to move up in last year’s draft, according to Lowe, who notes that San Antonio has since gained more draft ammo to potentially revisit that idea going forward.
Lowe contends that Kristaps Porzingis should take his trade to the Wizards “as a huge slap in the face,” given the modest return the Mavericks received. As Lowe writes, Dallas appeared to be trying to gain more flexibility for future moves by taking back two (relatively) smaller contracts for Porzingis’ max deal, which could pay off down the road. But it “seems to be selling unthinkably low” on Porzingis, Lowe says.

Pacers Notes: Turner, Rebuild, Roster, Carlisle

February 8th, 2022 at 10:44pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The deal today between the Pacers and Kings that exchanged headliners Domantas Sabonis and Tyrese Haliburton, among others, could prove to be good news for remaining Indiana big man Myles Turner, says Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

According to Wojnarowski, Turner seems to be excited to play alongside Haliburton. Turner, currently recuperating from a stress reaction in his right foot, has had another solid-if-injury-plagued season with Indiana. Turner, averaging 12.9 PPG and 7.1 RPG this year, should see additional offensive touches as he shifts over to a full-time center role.

There’s more out of the Hoosier State:

After opting to move on from two-time All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis, the Pacers will pivot its focus to Turner and budding second-year guard Tyrese Haliburton as they retool their roster, writes James Boyd of the Indianapolis Star. Boyd credits the Indiana front office with making the right call in moving perhaps its best trade chip for a possible future star in Haliburton.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle raved about his team’s new additions tonight, per Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link). Carlisle praised new wing Buddy Hield as a high-level shooter, and expressed his enthusiasm to work with Haliburton, hailing the latter as “an elite young point guard that affects the game positively in many, many ways.”
In his first season back with the Pacers since 2007, returning head coach Rick Carlisle has become a key voice as the Pacers make roster decisions with an eye towards the future, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “We’re putting together a path forward that is going to be a little bit different, obviously, after, after today and tonight,” Carlisle said after the team traded veteran wing Caris LeVert in exchange for the expiring contract of injured guard Ricky Rubio and three future draft picks.

Sabonis To Kings, Haliburton To Pacers In Six-Player Trade

February 8th, 2022 at 9:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

9:00pm: The trade is now official, the Pacers announced in a press release.

4:36pm: The second-rounder being sent to Sacramento in the deal is actually a 2023 pick that will be convey if it lands anywhere from 31-55, per Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter links).

12:37pm: The Pacers have agreed to send Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb and Justin Holiday to the Kings in exchange for Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Sacramento will also receive a 2027 second-round pick in the trade, according to Wojnarowski. That pick will presumably be the Utah selection the Pacers acquired from Cleveland on Monday, since Indiana has traded away its own 2027 second-rounder.

The deal involves two teams that have been trying to shake up their rosters ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. Both are in the middle of disappointing seasons, with the Pacers 13th in the East at 19-36 and the Kings, who were open about their need to make the playoffs heading into the season, stuck at 13th in the West at 20-35, two games out of the final play-in spot.

Sabonis, who was an All-Star in 2020 and 2021, carries a $19.8MM cap hit this season, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. As Marks notes, Sabonis’ cap figure is expected to eventually drop to $18.5MM this season and $19.4MM next year because his All-Star bonus will be considered unlikely going forward.

Sabonis’ production has remained steady at 18.9 points, 12.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists through 47 games, but the Pacers have been looking to break up the combination of Sabonis and Myles Turner.

Lamb has an expiring $10.5MM deal, while Holiday is under contract for $6MM and $6.3MM next season. The Kings will create a $4MM trade exception in the deal, Marks adds.

It’s a fascinating deal for the Kings, since reports in recent weeks repeatedly stated they preferred to build around Haliburton and De’Aaron Fox going forward. They relented on Haliburton in order to land a star center and will now move ahead with rookie Davion Mitchell as Fox’s potential long-term backcourt partner. It’s unclear whether more moves are coming for Sacramento, which still has a frontcourt logjam that includes center Richaun Holmes.

The Pacers, meanwhile, acquire a potential future star in Haliburton, who has emerged as a full-time starter this season and is averaging 14.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 51 games. He will make $4.2MM and $5.8MM over the next two seasons and will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the summer of 2023.

Indiana also lands Hield, who has a $23.1MM salary this year that will drop to $21.2MM next season and $19.3MM in 2023/24, and Thompson, who has a $9.7MM expiring deal. The Pacers will create a $10.5MM trade exception, according to Marks (Twitter link).

The trade leaves Indiana $615K below the luxury tax line, though Hield has nine bonuses in his contract that could affect that, Marks adds (via Twitter). Two of them are considered likely — fewer than two turnovers per game and finishing in the top 10 in made three-pointers — which would add up to $595,962 and push team salary dangerously close to the threshold. If the Pacers make more deals this week, they’ll likely try to trim a little more salary to create additional breathing room below the tax line.

Indiana was said to be seeking a Nikola Vucevic-esque package of several draft picks and/or young prospects in exchange for Sabonis. However, as we noted when we previewed the trade deadline for Central teams last week, the Pacers have historically preferred to acquire packages headlined by promising NBA-ready players rather than draft picks when they’ve traded away stars. The team first acquired Sabonis along with Victor Oladipo for Paul George in a 2017 blockbuster that was widely panned by experts at the time.

Sabonis and Oladipo both eventually developed into All-Stars in Indiana, and now the Pacers will hope for the same from Haliburton, a potential two-way impact player who is still just 21 years old.

Pacers Rumors: Turner, Sabonis, Ayton, Rubio, McCollum

February 8th, 2022 at 7:16am CST by Luke Adams

After trading Caris LeVert to Cleveland, the Pacers continue to talk to teams about centers Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis, but are still seeking a substantial return, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Indiana wants at least two first-round picks for Turner and an even more significant package for Sabonis, according to Fischer.

The Trail Blazers, Mavericks, Raptors, Knicks, Hornets, and Kings are among the teams to express interest in Turner, but they’ve all balked at the Pacers’ asking price so far, Fischer writes. As Fischer reported last week, Toronto has discussed a framework of Goran Dragic‘s expiring contract and a first-round pick for Turner, but it sounds like Indiana would want more assets than just a single first-rounder.

The Kings have engaged with the Pacers about both Turner and Sabonis, though it’s unclear how much progress was made in those talks, says Fischer. De’Aaron Fox was “at least mentioned in some capacity” in discussions between the two teams, according to Fischer, which echoes a January report.

Here’s more on the Pacers:

Some people around the NBA who have spoken to Bleacher Report have suggested the Suns may be one of the teams interest in Sabonis. While Phoenix isn’t expected to shake up their roster this week, some of Fischer’s sources believe an offseason deal that involves Sabonis and a Deandre Ayton sign-and-trade is a possibility.
Both Fischer and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst say that Ricky Rubio‘s expiring contract could be flipped before Thursday’s trade deadline, which Adrian Wojnarowski first reported on Monday. T.J. Warren and Jeremy Lamb, also on expiring contracts, look like trade candidates too, per Fischer.
Fischer reports that the Pacers are believed to be one of the teams with some interest in Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum.