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Kings C Domantas Sabonis reportedly agrees to 5-year, $217M extension after 1st full season with team

Jack Baer
Staff writer
·2 min read
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WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 18: Domantas Sabonis #10 of the Sacramento Kings plays against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on March 18, 2023 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
Domantas Sabonis was just what the Kings wanted from their blockbuster trade. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)

The Sacramento Kings apparently enjoyed Domantas Sabonis' first full season with the team, and vice versa.

The All-Star center has agreed to a five-year, $217 million contract extension with $195 million in new money, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojanrowski. Sabonis was previously under contract for one more season with the Kings on a $19.4 million salary and $22 million cap hit, but will now be under contract through 2028.

The max deal reflects a season that went as well as the Kings could have reasonably hoped. The team acquired Sabonis in a blockbuster trade with the Indiana Pacers at the NBA trade deadline in 2022, with the hope he could form an effective duo with De'Aaron Fox.

The team was taking a significant risk with the deal, sending away rising star Tyrese Haliburton (who landed a max deal himself on Friday), sharpshooter Buddy Hield and more for a package built around Sabonis. The early numbers were encouraging enough, with Sabonis averaging 18.9 points, 12.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game to finish last season with Sacramento, but the team also went 5-10 in games he played and missed him for the final nine games due to a knee injury.

In his first full season with the Kings, Sabonis did what he was supposed to do. He made a third career All-Star team, got his first career All-NBA nod on the third team (behind only Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokić), led the NBA in rebounding with 12.3 per game and, most importantly, helped lead the Kings to a 48-34 record and their first playoff berth since 2006.

Sabonis and his elite offensive rebounding and touch in the paint were a major reason why the Kings led the league in offensive rating. Now all that's left is to solidify the gains the Kings made this year, as other top West teams restock for the upcoming season.

So far, the Kings' offseason has been focused on bringing players back. In addition to extending Sabonis, the team has re-signed Harrison Barnes and Trey Lyles, though it has also brought in EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov on a three-year, $20 million deal.