Domantas Sabonis changed agents this summer. He left Wasserman for Aaron Mintz at CAA, the agent who engineered Trae Young’s exit from Atlanta.
Nobody in the NBA missed the signal.
The Reporting
Brian Windhorst of ESPN said in early September that Sabonis wants to get out of Sacramento. Jake Fischer followed on Sept. 9, pointing to the agency switch as the clearest evidence: there has been talk that Sabonis wants out, and the change from Wasserman to CAA makes it evident.
Then Fischer updated it on Sept. 18 with the part that actually decides this. The Kings’ asking price is steep, and there is a disconnect with the rest of the league. He said he is skeptical how much market exists at Sacramento’s current number, and that Charlotte is not motivated to meet it.
There is a counterpoint. Anthony Slater reported on Aug. 5 that Sabonis has expressed a willingness to recommit and buy in for this season, noting he attended Summer League and met with the front office.
The Contract Is the Whole Problem
Sabonis signed a five-year, $217 million renegotiation and extension in July 2023. He has two years remaining: $45.47 million this season and $48.61 million in 2027-28, about $94.1 million total, before unrestricted free agency in 2028.
He is extension-eligible right now. The Kings are not pursuing one, which tells you plenty.
Last Season Was a Disaster
The 30-year-old played 19 games, a career low. He averaged 15.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 29.7 minutes on 54.3 percent shooting, which are perfectly good numbers across a sample that means very little.
He tore the meniscus in his left knee in November and missed roughly 27 games, returned Jan. 16 but never played more than 21 minutes, last appeared Feb. 4, and had season-ending surgery on Feb. 18.
A three-time All-Star and three-time rebounding leader coming off knee surgery at 30, owed $94 million, is a difficult sell. That is the disconnect Fischer is describing.
They Already Tried
Sacramento shopped him at the February deadline and could not close. Sam Amick listed the Suns, Bulls, Raptors and Wizards as interested, with Toronto the team to watch.
Anthony Slater explained why it collapsed: the Kings nearly traded Sabonis to Toronto, but the Raptors could not move the three years and $84 million remaining on Jakob Poeltl’s contract, which killed the deal. Sabonis would have welcomed the move.
Pre-draft talks with Charlotte were described as real but unlikely. Amick’s assessment was flat: the market is not too robust for Domantas Sabonis right now.
Sacramento also tried a sign-and-trade with Detroit for Jalen Duren, which was refused, and talked to Boston. The cumulative 2026 list runs Raptors, Pistons, Hornets, Celtics. None of it produced a deal.
The Kings Are Nowhere
Sacramento went 22-60 last season, fifth in the Pacific and 14th in the West, a third consecutive playoff miss that included a franchise-record 16-game losing streak and the first 60-loss season since 2008-09.
They fell to No. 7 in the lottery and drafted Darius Acuff Jr. General manager Scott Perry, hired in 2025, retained Doug Christie and signed Ben Simmons to a minimum deal.
Perry has also set a public bar, saying he expects the team to win more games than the 22 it won a year ago and calling those clear expectations.
Where This Goes
Sabonis wants out. The Kings want a haul. The league has looked at the price and passed repeatedly since February.
Something gives at the deadline, and it is going to be Sacramento’s asking price. Holding a disgruntled 30-year-old center on $45 million through a fourth losing season helps nobody, least of all a general manager who just told everyone he expects improvement.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.