Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure we truly know what's at stake for the Sacramento Kings heading into the final few weeks of the season and into the postseason. After De'Aaron Fox essentially blew up this team's hopes heading into the next few years, the Kings did the best they could to try and remain competitive in the Western Conference but I think we all know how this is all going to end for Sacramento sooner rather than later - in another rebuilding of the roster.
Whether the front office wants to admit it or not, I would be extremely surprised if the Kings were knee-deep in another rebuild in the next 1-2 seasons. The question is, will the Kings move in that direction as early as this offseason or will they attempt to delay the inevitable? That may be hard to predict but I do believe they could be pushed in that direction if a player like Domantas Sabonis approached management and asked to be traded. Even though he just signed a huge extension with the team, the argument could be made he was a big part of the Fox build.
With Fox now in San Antonio, I'm not sure how much sense Sabonis makes for the Kings or how much sense the Kings make for Sabonis. There's reason to believe that a divorce between the two sides could end up working out. However, before we even get to that possibility, I do expect the Kings to want this season to play out. That's why I believe there is much stock that is going to be put into how Sacramento closes out the year. If they miss out on the postseason altogether, I believe we see this team begin to pivot toward, at the very least, another retooling of the roster.
If that were to happen, there's a very real chance that Sabonis could be a player that ends up on the outside looking in. Sabonis is going to be 29 years old by the time next season begins and I'm not quite sure the Kings are at a point where they could quickly rebuild around him. Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are talented players but they're not difference-makers without a lead star next to them. It would just make so much sense if Sabonis asked for a trade with everything that has happened to the Kings over the last year.