Trade speculation linking the Golden State Warriors to Sacramento Kings three-time All-Star center Domantas Sabonis has once again become a hot topic in the Bay Area. But according to a new report, the Warriors’ rumored pursuit may be more fiction than fact.
The chatter began earlier this month when Allen Stiles of Sactown Sports 1140 pointed to “a team down the freeway” as the most logical suitor for Sacramento’s three-time All-Star.
“There’s a team not too far down the road that could look at a Domantas Sabonis,” Stiles said on The Allen Stiles Show, strongly hinting at Golden State without naming them.
Stiles also noted that Sabonis’ contract — worth over $40 million per season — could complicate possible trade construction. The 28-year-old big man is owed roughly $95 million over the next two seasons, making him an expensive but potentially transformative acquisition.
Jake Fischer: Warriors Not a Realistic Sabonis Destination
GettyThe Golden State Warriors have reported interest in adding Domantas Sabonis in a trade that could include the now-injured Jonathan Kuminga.
However, NBA insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line pushed back strongly on the Sabonis-to-Golden State narrative, indicating that the Warriors are unlikely to join any Sabonis negotiations.
“In truth, I don’t think that the Warriors are going to factor into any Sabonis Sweepstakes,” Fischer wrote. “For a number of reasons.”
Fischer did confirm that Golden State once discussed a Sabonis pursuit before the 2022 trade deadline, when the Indiana Pacers eventually sent Sabonis to Sacramento in a blockbuster deal for Tyrese Haliburton.
At the time, the Pacers were reportedly enamored with Jonathan Kuminga, leading to frameworks that involved Kuminga, Andrew Wiggins and Buddy Hield, who was then a Pacers guard but is now with the Warriors.
Warriors Were Unwilling to Part With Younger Pieces
Last summer, the Kings and the Warriors re-engaged in a potential Kuminga sign-and-trade. However, Golden State ultimately backed away from the talks due to its reluctance to include specific assets, according to Fischer.
“The Warriors resisted parting with Buddy Hield or Moses Moody as part of a Kuminga sign-and-trade,” Fischer reported.
That hesitation would be amplified today, as acquiring Sabonis and his $42.3 million salary would likely require the Warriors to package multiple core players — a high-risk move for a center who does not protect the rim or stretch the floor with 3-point shooting.
Al Horford’s Struggles Don’t Justify a Sabonis Blockbuster
Golden State’s biggest offseason gamble has already become a problem. Al Horford, signed to stabilize the center position at age 39, has battled injury and posted career-low production, raising questions about the team’s frontcourt strategy.
Still, Fischer made clear that Horford’s struggles — and injuries to Draymond Green and Kuminga — are not dramatic enough to justify tearing apart the roster for Sabonis.
Warriors Have a History of Swinging Big
If the Warriors do spiral, the possibility of a major move cannot be dismissed. Just last season, Golden State aggressively pursued Kevin Durant, and when that fell through, the front office pivoted rapidly to acquire Jimmy Butler — a move that fueled a 23-8 surge to clinch a playoff berth.
For now, the Warriors are far more likely to monitor the market than to mortgage their core for Sabonis. But as history has shown, if the Warriors believe a blockbuster can revive their title window, they won’t hesitate to act.
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