Source: Sacramento Kings sign Domantas Sabonis to contract extension worth $217 million
Domantas Sabonis said he was looking for a home when the Indiana Pacers traded him to the Kings in a blockbuster deal involving Tyrese Haliburton in February 2022.
He has found one in Sacramento.
Sabonis agreed to renegotiate and extend his contract with the Kings on Saturday, signing a new deal that will be worth $217 million over the next five seasons, a league source told The Sacramento Bee. The contract, which does not include any player or team options, will pay Sabonis an average of $43.4 million per year.
The Kings locked up their All-NBA center through the 2027-28 season, solidifying his partnership with star point guard De’Aaron Fox. Sacramento has Fox, Kevin Huerter, 2023 All-Rookie First Team selection Keegan Murray and newly signed EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov under contract until 2026. Harrison Barnes just re-signed for three years and $54 million, a deal that could keep him in Sacramento through 2028.
Sabonis, 27, is a three-time All-Star who averaged 19.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists last season. He led the league with 65 double-doubles and ranked second behind two-time MVP Nikola Jokic with 14 triple-doubles.
Fox and Sabonis formed one of the most dynamic duos in the NBA last season, leading the Kings to the playoffs for the first time since 2006 as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. Fox made his first All-Star appearance with Sabonis by his side. At the end of the season, both received All-NBA honors for the first time in their careers.
Fox and Sabonis were the first Kings teammates named All-NBA in the same season since Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas in 1967-68.
Terms of the deal
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news, reporting the deal includes $195 million in new money. The Kings used salary cap space to increase Sabonis’ salary from $22 million to $30.6 million for 2023-24 while adding four additional years to the contract.
Team officials told ESPN Sabonis isn’t taking the full money available to him. He reportedly told team officials he prioritized the organization’s roster-building flexibility over maximizing his own earning power.
Sabonis had one year remaining on the four-year, $79 million deal he signed with the Pacers in 2020. This agreement with the Kings allows general manager Monte McNair, assistant general manager Wes Wilcox and coach Mike Brown to focus on the future instead of the threat of Sabonis’ looming free agency next summer.
How did the Kings get here?
The Kings freed up salary cap space when they traded Olivier-Maxence Prosper, the 24th pick in the NBA draft, to the Dallas Mavericks in a deal that will reportedly include center Richaun Holmes. That trade has not been formally announced, but shedding Holmes’ contract presumably saves the Kings $12 million this season and nearly $12.9 million next season plus an additional $7.2 million in guaranteed salary for Maxence-Prosper over the next three years.
The Kings entered free agency with about $35 million to spend. There were rumors and reports they might pursue a big-time free agent forward such as Khris Middleton, Draymond Green, Jerami Grant or Kyle Kuzma, but those players all re-signed with their current teams.
Kings family
The Kings aren’t just building a basketball team in Sacramento. They seem to be building a family.
In the past year, Fox and Sabonis have both welcomed new babies into the world. Sabonis told The Bee he and his wife, Sashana, are now expecting their second child.
Fox and his wife, Recee, named their son Reign. Fox said it was Recee who chose the baby’s name because it seemed appropriate for Kings royalty. Murray, who recently completed a stellar rookie season, has grown close to Fox and is often seen in social media videos acting as “Uncle Keegan” with baby Reign.
Kings general manager Monte McNair and his wife recently had their fourth child. Assistant coach Luke Loucks, who has been chosen to lead Sacramento’s summer league team, also has young children.
Organizational stability
The Kings will return all five starters next season and key reserves such as Malik Monk, Trey Lyles and Alex Len.
McNair and Wilcox received three-year extensions in January, aligning their contracts with Brown’s through the end of the 2025-26 season. McNair, Brown and their staffs have done a remarkable job under team owner Vivek Ranadivé of transforming Sacramento’s roster and culture after 16 consecutive losing seasons.
Brown was named NBA Coach of the Year — the first unanimous selection in league history. McNair was named NBA Executive of the Year. Fox and Sabonis were bestowed with the highest honors of their respective careers while orchestrating an offense that set a record with the highest offensive rating (119.4) in NBA history.
The Kings won 48 games after going 30-52 in 2021-22. With 12 coaches and five general managers over the past 17 years, it has been a long time since the Kings had this kind of organizational structure and stability. Now, with all the major players secured, they can continue to build the family they’ve created.
