The Portland Trail Blazers have been linked to the Sacramento Kings by prominent NBA analyst Zach Lowe in a hypothetical trade that would see Domantas Sabonis arrive in Oregon. It would be a poetic turn of events, as Sabonis' father, the legendary Arvydas Sabonis, played seven seasons with the franchise.
The question facing the Trail Blazers is simple: Would Sabonis be worth a potential outpouring of Deandre Ayton and multiple draft picks?
Portland will enter the 2025 offseason with at least two hefty contracts that they could look to move. Jerami Grant has three years and $102,620,689 remaining on his deal, while Ayton will make a team-high and expiring $35,550,814 in 2025-26.
In a recent episode of The Lowe Post with Lowe and John Hollinger, the two pondered Sabonis trades and discussed a hypothetical deal that would send Ayton and his expiring contract to the Sacramento Kings.
The additional assets would effectively shape the trade as follows:
Hollinger and Lowe didn't specify the picks that would be included, but the tone of the conversation certainly implied that the Kings would ask for first-round compensation for an All-NBA big.
Deandre Ayton for Domantas Sabonis: Enough of an upgrade?
Sabonis is one of the most accomplished active big men in the NBA. At 29 years of age, he's a two-time All-NBA honoree, three-time All-Star, and three-time defending league leader in rebounds per game.
Sabonis also plays a remarkably unselfish style that revolves around getting his teammates involved through his passing and screen-setting.
In 2024-25, Sabonis averaged 19.1 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.8 offensive boards, 6.0 assists, and 0.9 three-point field goals made per game on .590/.417/.754 shooting. He ranked No. 1 in the NBA by a wide margin in screen assists per game and was also No. 1 in box outs.
As productive and team-first as almost any big in the Association, Sabonis would undoubtedly help Portland in developing a stronger team identity.
The hurdle in this discussion, however, is determining whether or not Sabonis would be worth multiple first-round draft picks. He's an exceptional player, but he's also played just 20 career postseason games—including a mere seven over the past five seasons.
Perhaps that can be attributed to Sacramento's questionable decision-making on the team-building front, but Portland must at least exercise caution before going all-in.
The upside to taking a chance on Sabonis is that Portland already has an excellent young core that doesn't necessarily need an infusion of young talent. Donovan Clingan and Scoot Henderson are 21, Shaedon Sharpe is 22, Deni Avdija and Kris Murray are 24, and all three of Dalano Blanton, Toumani Camara, and Anfernee Simons are 25.
With a deep assortment of promising up-and-coming talent already in place, perhaps giving up one or two first-round draft picks for an All-NBA player in Sabonis wouldn't be as detrimental as it seems.