The Kings have had a very mediocre past few seasons, and there doesn’t seem to be a path to a playoff return with their current core. Guys like LaVine, DeRozan, and Sabonis aren’t getting any younger and they don’t have a great young core ready to step up. Unfortunately for a team whose recent history is plagued with playoff drought, it may be time to return to the rebuild.
Link to Part 1: https://fanspo.com/nba/s/general/trades/wOi6OazgUfPa6e/kings-rebuild-part-1-derozan-to-lal
Why the Kings do this:
Domantas Sabonis is coming off of 2 All-NBA appearances in the past 3 years and he has been one of the best centers in the NBA for a number of years. The Kings would be fools (jesters?) not to extract maximum value from him in this situation where near-term contention is seemingly impossible. This is absolute maximum value, bringing in two firsts, three swaps, and a second rounder to take on Paul George’s contract, which will likely do nothing more than keep them above the minimum salary floor during the rebuilding years and potentially allow George to rehab his value as the tank commander. Unfortunately, this trade doesn’t result in a ton of young players heading to Sacramento, but the picks make this solid value for Sabonis.
Why the 76ers do this:
I understand that this is a LOT of value heading out of Philly, even for someone as good as Sabonis, but hear me out. There are talks of Joel Embiid potentially being forced into a medical retirement. The Sixers have a decent core that could contend if it had a good center, but with Embiid’s health in the air, Sabonis is a rock-solid insurance policy. He should also fit well if Embiid is able to continue his career — a twin towers sort of lineup with both Sabonis and Embiid would be unstoppable on offense and passable on defense. In any scenario, Sabonis serves as a Mini-Jokic for this Philly team, as a big man playmaking hub, which is helpful no matter what their team construction ends up looking like. The Sixers also combine a couple smaller contracts to acquire Royce O’Neale, a solid contender’s role player stuck in a rebuilding scenario.
76ers Starting Lineup after this move:
Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, Kelly Oubre Jr., Domantas Sabonis, Joel Embiid
What do you think of this trade? Who accepts, who says no, and what would the result be for each team? Let me know in the comments and drop a like and flame. Thanks!