It has been another disappointing season for the Sacramento Kings as they currently sit last in the Western Conference standings with a 7-23 record and it appears as though they are heading towards another season in which they miss the playoffs.
Of course, the Kings had high expectations for themselves entering the season after electing to keep their core of Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine together in the offseason, along with adding Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schroder in free agency to make a playoff push.
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Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) and forward DeMar DeRozan (10) and forward Keegan Murray (13)© Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
Instead, Sacramento has struggled this season as they have seen multiple players miss games due to injuries and even when they are healthy, they have struggled to remain competitive.
Because of this, it appears as though the Kings are heading towards a rebuild as they have had many players on their roster become the subject of trade rumors ahead of the trade deadline in February.
Magic May Target Kings’ Domantas Sabonis
One player who continues to be in trade rumors for the Kings is Sabonis despite him currently being sidelined due to a partially torn meniscus.
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Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis (11)© Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
Of course, Sabonis is a dominant scorer and rebounder who could draw interest from multiple contenders in need of a starting center ahead of the trade deadline.
One contender that may show interest in the star center ahead of the deadline is the Orlando Magic as they could look to make a deal for him to upgrade their frontcourt.
Mock Trade Lands Kings 5 Players from Magic for Domantas Sabonis
In a potential trade, the Kings could send Sabonis and Drew Eubanks to the Magic in exchange for Wendell Carter Jr., Jonathan Isaac, Goga Bitadze, Tyus Jones, Jett Howard and draft capital.
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Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis (11)© Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
While moving on from Sabonis may be a tough decision for the Kings to make, swapping him for five players could help improve their depth while also help them add a few more young players to build around if they begin a rebuild.
For Carter Jr., he would provide the Kings with a solid center to replace Sabonis who is a reliable scorer and rebounder.
Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34)
This season, the 26-year-old big man is averaging 12.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 53.7% from the field and 41.4% from three.
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Sacramento would also add some key veteran pieces in Bitadze, Jones and Isaac they could either keep to improve their depth or move in separate deals to add more young talent and draft capital to help with their rebuild.
Orlando Magic guard Jett Howard (13)Mike Watters-Imagn Images
The key young player the Kings would receive in this trade is Jett Howard who has not seen a ton of playing time over his first three seasons in Orlando but could have an increased role in Sacramento.
This season, the 22-year-old forward is averaging 5.3 points and 1.4 rebounds per game while shooting 43.5% from the field and 35.5% from three in 11.6 minutes per game.
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While this trade could work out well for the Kings, they may also elect to look elsewhere to find a better trade package for Sabonis, or they could choose to keep him on their roster and instead trade away others if they decide to begin a rebuild this season.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 25, 2025, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.