Domantas Sabonis Calls Out 'Made Up' Kings Trade Rumors Ahead of 2026-27 NBA Season

Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis explained that it wasn't difficult for him to ignore the trade rumors that surrounded him during the 2026 offseason.

"Easy. It's all made up," Sabonis told Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops (h/t Sam Amico of Hoops Wire). "I don't know where you guys get most of it from. I'm there with Scott [Perry], with my agent, so I'm not on social media as much."

On June 16, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Kings and Charlotte Hornets discussed a swap involving Sabonis ahead of the 2026 draft. Fischer noted that the talks were "widely described as exploratory."

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Fischer and NBA insider Marc Stein also reported that Sacramento had interest in adding Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren as part of a sign-and-trade agreement that would have sent Sabonis to Detroit on June 30.

Sabonis remains on the Kings' roster with the start of the 2026-27 regular season drawing closer, though.

He has two years left on his current contract, as he's set to earn $45.5 million for his 2026-27 campaign before receiving $48.6 million for the 2027-28 season (via Spotrac ).

Sabonis was limited to just 19 appearances last season due to a meniscus tear , averaging 15.8 points and 11.4 rebounds per game while shooting 54.3 percent from the field.

At 30 years old, Sabonis' long-term future in Sacramento is uncertain as the team looks to build around young pieces such as Darius Acuff Jr. and Maxime Raynaud moving forward.

For now, he's set to enter the 2026-27 season as the Kings' starting center.