Pacers reportedly trade Wizards target Sabonis to Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
While the Washington Wizards had shown some interest in trading for All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis, the Indiana Pacers have traded him instead to the Sacramento Kings in one of the first major deals of the 2022 NBA trade deadline.
The trade, which was first reported by ESPN, sends Sabonis to Sacramento along with Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and a 2027 second-round pick in exchange for rising star Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson.
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This may be a disappointment to the Wizards' front office, which is rumored to be looking for substantial upgrades at the deadline and had been linked to Sabonis. The 25-year-old was one of the best players reportedly available across the league.
This trade shows the price it would have cost to get him and it wasn't cheap. The Kings had to part with Haliburton, who is one of the best players from the 2020 draft class, plus Hield who has long been among the best outside shooters in the league. Thompson is a veteran center on an expiring contract, allowing them to free up cap space this summer.
The Wizards liked Sabonis, but all along it seemed like it would be tough for them to meet the asking price, especially given many of their future first-round picks are tied up in the John Wall-Russell Westbrook trade. That said, Indiana didn't get a first-round pick from Sacramento in this deal, they instead opted for players who can help them sooner than later, as they did when they traded Paul George to the Thunder back in 2017. Sabonis happened to be part of that deal as well.
One big domino has fallen with roughly 48 hours to go until the deadline. Now that the Wizards are out on Sabonis, it will be interesting to see which direction they turn.
