Domantas Sabonis Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacers Notes: Haliburton, Hield, Turner, Brogdon, Smith, Sabonis

February 11th, 2022 at 8:47pm CST by Rory Maher

New addition Tyrese Haliburton said the Kings gave him no indication that he might be traded to the Pacers or any other team, as Wheat Hotchkiss of Pacers.com writes. “It’s just overwhelming,” Haliburton told reporters on Thursday, following his first practice with Indiana. “I had no idea, they gave me no indication this was happening.”

Haliburton said it’s hard not to feel a little circumspect entering a new city after being hurt, but he’s still excited for a fresh opportunity.

“It’s scary, right?” he said. “I’ve put a lot of love, a lot of trust in Sacramento and kind of immersed myself in the community and with the people. They got rid of me, but you know that’s part of the business. I think that’s kind of my best trait. It’s like somebody who just loves hard. I want to be here. I want to be a part of it.

“It can be the biggest upside, but it can be a big downfall, too. It hurt when I got traded because I loved being there and I loved the people, but coming here I’m going to do the same thing. They’ve shown me nothing but love since I’ve gotten here and they’re another organization taking a chance on me (when) they have no reason to. So I’ll put everything I’ve got into it.”

Here’s more from Indiana:

Buddy Hield, who was also part of the trade, said it was “a shift that was needed,” after a disappointing season in Sacramento, Joel Lorenzi of The Indianapolis Star relays. “Just want to go there and do what I do best, shoot the ball and try to make opportunities for my teammates,” Hield said. “Just bring the positive energy I can bring to this team.”
Coach Rick Carlisle said Myles Turner (stress reaction in foot) will be out through the All-Star break, but Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles soreness) is “close” to returning. Neither player has an official timetable, James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star tweets.
If Jalen Smith plays well with the Pacers, he might price himself out of Indiana for an unusual reason, according to Nat Newell of The Indianapolis Star. Smith, who the Pacers acquired in a trade that sent Torrey Craig to the Suns, had his third-year team option declined by Phoenix, making him an unrestricted free agent this summer, but with one big caveat — Indiana can only offer up to the amount of his declined option, which was $4,670,160.
Two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis, who was sent to the Kings as part of the trade that brought Hield and Haliburton to Indiana, thanked Pacers fans on Instagram recently, Newell writes in a separate story for The Star.

Lowe’s Latest: Gasol, Bucks, Suns, Pacers, Kings, Sixers, More

February 11th, 2022 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

With Brook Lopez sidelined indefinitely, the Bucks and center Marc Gasol, who is currently playing for Girona in Spain, had discussed the possibility of a possible late-season deal, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN (Insider link). However, Lowe suggests that a union “does not appear to be in the cards” now that Milwaukee has acquired Serge Ibaka.

It’s worth noting that the Bucks have three open spots on their 15-man roster following the trade deadline, so there still could be room for Gasol down the road, and it’s not like he and Ibaka haven’t had success teaming up in the past — the two vets played key roles for the 2019 champion Raptors. Still, Milwaukee may be looking to address other positions with those open roster spots, and there’s no guarantee Gasol will look to return to the NBA when his season is over in Spain.

Here are a few more highlights from Lowe’s post-deadline roundup:

Sources confirmed to Lowe that the Suns and Pacers had brief discussions about Deandre Ayton and Domantas Sabonis, which was first reported by Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Fischer suggested the two teams might be exploring the idea of an offseason sign-and-trade involving Ayton, and Lowe agrees that the talks seem to have been just exploratory and informal, possibly aimed at the future rather than present. Indiana subsequently traded Sabonis to Sacramento, which could eliminate the possibility of any future deal with Phoenix for Ayton, but Lowe points out that the Suns’ willingness to consider shaking up their roster – even in the offseason – is noteworthy.
Before acquiring Sabonis, the Kings approached the Hawks about John Collins, but they didn’t discuss Tyrese Haliburton or De’Aaron Fox in that context, says Lowe.
Lowe expects the Sixers to explore the buyout market for a backup center, since there’s no guarantee that Paul Millsap will bounce back in Philadelphia and Charles Bassey is unproven.
The Spurs explored ways to move up in last year’s draft, according to Lowe, who notes that San Antonio has since gained more draft ammo to potentially revisit that idea going forward.
Lowe contends that Kristaps Porzingis should take his trade to the Wizards “as a huge slap in the face,” given the modest return the Mavericks received. As Lowe writes, Dallas appeared to be trying to gain more flexibility for future moves by taking back two (relatively) smaller contracts for Porzingis’ max deal, which could pay off down the road. But it “seems to be selling unthinkably low” on Porzingis, Lowe says.

Pacers Notes: Turner, Rebuild, Roster, Carlisle

February 8th, 2022 at 10:44pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The deal today between the Pacers and Kings that exchanged headliners Domantas Sabonis and Tyrese Haliburton, among others, could prove to be good news for remaining Indiana big man Myles Turner, says Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

According to Wojnarowski, Turner seems to be excited to play alongside Haliburton. Turner, currently recuperating from a stress reaction in his right foot, has had another solid-if-injury-plagued season with Indiana. Turner, averaging 12.9 PPG and 7.1 RPG this year, should see additional offensive touches as he shifts over to a full-time center role.

There’s more out of the Hoosier State:

After opting to move on from two-time All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis, the Pacers will pivot its focus to Turner and budding second-year guard Tyrese Haliburton as they retool their roster, writes James Boyd of the Indianapolis Star. Boyd credits the Indiana front office with making the right call in moving perhaps its best trade chip for a possible future star in Haliburton.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle raved about his team’s new additions tonight, per Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link). Carlisle praised new wing Buddy Hield as a high-level shooter, and expressed his enthusiasm to work with Haliburton, hailing the latter as “an elite young point guard that affects the game positively in many, many ways.”
In his first season back with the Pacers since 2007, returning head coach Rick Carlisle has become a key voice as the Pacers make roster decisions with an eye towards the future, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “We’re putting together a path forward that is going to be a little bit different, obviously, after, after today and tonight,” Carlisle said after the team traded veteran wing Caris LeVert in exchange for the expiring contract of injured guard Ricky Rubio and three future draft picks.

Sabonis To Kings, Haliburton To Pacers In Six-Player Trade

February 8th, 2022 at 9:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

9:00pm: The trade is now official, the Pacers announced in a press release.

4:36pm: The second-rounder being sent to Sacramento in the deal is actually a 2023 pick that will be convey if it lands anywhere from 31-55, per Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter links).

12:37pm: The Pacers have agreed to send Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb and Justin Holiday to the Kings in exchange for Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Sacramento will also receive a 2027 second-round pick in the trade, according to Wojnarowski. That pick will presumably be the Utah selection the Pacers acquired from Cleveland on Monday, since Indiana has traded away its own 2027 second-rounder.

The deal involves two teams that have been trying to shake up their rosters ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. Both are in the middle of disappointing seasons, with the Pacers 13th in the East at 19-36 and the Kings, who were open about their need to make the playoffs heading into the season, stuck at 13th in the West at 20-35, two games out of the final play-in spot.

Sabonis, who was an All-Star in 2020 and 2021, carries a $19.8MM cap hit this season, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. As Marks notes, Sabonis’ cap figure is expected to eventually drop to $18.5MM this season and $19.4MM next year because his All-Star bonus will be considered unlikely going forward.

Sabonis’ production has remained steady at 18.9 points, 12.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists through 47 games, but the Pacers have been looking to break up the combination of Sabonis and Myles Turner.

Lamb has an expiring $10.5MM deal, while Holiday is under contract for $6MM and $6.3MM next season. The Kings will create a $4MM trade exception in the deal, Marks adds.

It’s a fascinating deal for the Kings, since reports in recent weeks repeatedly stated they preferred to build around Haliburton and De’Aaron Fox going forward. They relented on Haliburton in order to land a star center and will now move ahead with rookie Davion Mitchell as Fox’s potential long-term backcourt partner. It’s unclear whether more moves are coming for Sacramento, which still has a frontcourt logjam that includes center Richaun Holmes.

The Pacers, meanwhile, acquire a potential future star in Haliburton, who has emerged as a full-time starter this season and is averaging 14.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 51 games. He will make $4.2MM and $5.8MM over the next two seasons and will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the summer of 2023.

Indiana also lands Hield, who has a $23.1MM salary this year that will drop to $21.2MM next season and $19.3MM in 2023/24, and Thompson, who has a $9.7MM expiring deal. The Pacers will create a $10.5MM trade exception, according to Marks (Twitter link).

The trade leaves Indiana $615K below the luxury tax line, though Hield has nine bonuses in his contract that could affect that, Marks adds (via Twitter). Two of them are considered likely — fewer than two turnovers per game and finishing in the top 10 in made three-pointers — which would add up to $595,962 and push team salary dangerously close to the threshold. If the Pacers make more deals this week, they’ll likely try to trim a little more salary to create additional breathing room below the tax line.

Indiana was said to be seeking a Nikola Vucevic-esque package of several draft picks and/or young prospects in exchange for Sabonis. However, as we noted when we previewed the trade deadline for Central teams last week, the Pacers have historically preferred to acquire packages headlined by promising NBA-ready players rather than draft picks when they’ve traded away stars. The team first acquired Sabonis along with Victor Oladipo for Paul George in a 2017 blockbuster that was widely panned by experts at the time.

Sabonis and Oladipo both eventually developed into All-Stars in Indiana, and now the Pacers will hope for the same from Haliburton, a potential two-way impact player who is still just 21 years old.

Pacers Rumors: Turner, Sabonis, Ayton, Rubio, McCollum

February 8th, 2022 at 7:16am CST by Luke Adams

After trading Caris LeVert to Cleveland, the Pacers continue to talk to teams about centers Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis, but are still seeking a substantial return, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Indiana wants at least two first-round picks for Turner and an even more significant package for Sabonis, according to Fischer.

The Trail Blazers, Mavericks, Raptors, Knicks, Hornets, and Kings are among the teams to express interest in Turner, but they’ve all balked at the Pacers’ asking price so far, Fischer writes. As Fischer reported last week, Toronto has discussed a framework of Goran Dragic‘s expiring contract and a first-round pick for Turner, but it sounds like Indiana would want more assets than just a single first-rounder.

The Kings have engaged with the Pacers about both Turner and Sabonis, though it’s unclear how much progress was made in those talks, says Fischer. De’Aaron Fox was “at least mentioned in some capacity” in discussions between the two teams, according to Fischer, which echoes a January report.

Here’s more on the Pacers:

Some people around the NBA who have spoken to Bleacher Report have suggested the Suns may be one of the teams interest in Sabonis. While Phoenix isn’t expected to shake up their roster this week, some of Fischer’s sources believe an offseason deal that involves Sabonis and a Deandre Ayton sign-and-trade is a possibility.
Both Fischer and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst say that Ricky Rubio‘s expiring contract could be flipped before Thursday’s trade deadline, which Adrian Wojnarowski first reported on Monday. T.J. Warren and Jeremy Lamb, also on expiring contracts, look like trade candidates too, per Fischer.
Fischer reports that the Pacers are believed to be one of the teams with some interest in Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum.

Eastern Notes: Bamba, Gafford, Sabonis, Kyrie

February 7th, 2022 at 8:36am CST by Luke Adams

Magic center Mohamed Bamba made his 41st start of the season on Saturday, reaching the starter criteria for restricted free-agents-to-be, as Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report tweets. A player meets the starter criteria when he makes at least 41 starts or logs 2,000 minutes in the season prior to his restricted free agency, or if he averages 41 starts or 2,000 minutes across the two seasons before he becomes a restricted free agent.

If Bamba hadn’t achieved the starter criteria, his qualifying offer this offseason would’ve dipped to $7,228,448. Now that he has met the criteria, his QO amount will remain at $10,096,703.

In many cases, the amount of an RFA’s qualifying offer isn’t all that important, since a player who intends to sign a longer-term deal won’t seriously consider accepting it. But that’s not always the case. For a player with a somewhat limited NBA résumé like Bamba, a $10MM+ qualifying offer wouldn’t be a mere placeholder — the Magic would have to decide whether they’re comfortable making that offer, and if they do, Bamba could realistically accept it if he doesn’t get a multiyear deal he likes.

Here are a few more items from around the Eastern Conference:

Wizards center Daniel Gafford entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols on Sunday, tweets Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Thomas Bryant and Montrezl Harrell figure to share center duties for as long as Gafford remains sidelined.
Pacers center Domantas Sabonis exited the COVID-19 protocols on Sunday, per James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). The big man had a relatively quiet return to the lineup, scoring just nine points in a loss to Cleveland — it was only the fifth time this season that Sabonis hasn’t had double-digit points.
Nets guard Kyrie Irving said on Sunday that he remains hopeful about his ability to play in home games at some point, tweets Nick Friedell of ESPN. “I’m keeping a positive mindset that anything can happen in these next few days or the next week,” Irving said. “Just crossing my fingers that something can come up either before the All-Star break or even just after.” Of course, Irving would become eligible to play games in Brooklyn if he received the COVID-19 vaccine, but it sounds like he’s hoping for the city to change its rules related to unvaccinated individuals.

Central Notes: Taylor, Stephenson, Cunningham, Bucks

February 3rd, 2022 at 10:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pacers rookie swingman Terry Taylor recorded career highs of 24 points and 16 rebounds in 37 minutes of action on Wednesday. Taylor, a two-way player who earned a spot on the roster after going undrafted, may be forcing his way into the team’s future plans, according to James Boyd of the Indianapolis Star. Taylor played out of position against the Magic as a very undersized center with Indiana’s frontcourt depleted by injuries.

“He was tremendous,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s got a real good feel for the game. He knows who he is. He knows his strengths, he plays to them. He’s a very unique player. He’s worked extremely hard to get this opportunity to be in the NBA and have a chance to get minutes and he’s making the most of it.”

We have more from the Central Division:

The cap hit that the Pacers will take by signing Lance Stephenson to a rest-of-the-season contract is $642,729, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. Stephenson will make $924,730. The signing leaves Indiana $1.4MM below the luxury tax threshold but the team could get $1.3MM in tax relief if Domantas Sabonis is not selected as an All-Star replacement. He wasn’t among the initial group of Eastern Conference reserves announced on Thursday.
Top pick Cade Cunningham missed the Pistons’ home game against Minnesota on Thursday, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com tweets. Cunningham suffered a hip pointer in a loss to New Orleans on Tuesday. He’s questionable to play against Boston on Friday.
The Athletic’s Eric Nehm takes a look at potential trades for the Bucks before next week’s deadline and possible buyout acquisitions after the deadline passes.

Wizards Rumors: Sabonis, Grant, Beal, Bryant, Harrell, Dinwiddie

February 2nd, 2022 at 7:53am CST by Luke Adams

A number of people around the NBA think the Wizards will go “big-game hunting” at the trade deadline in an effort to ensure Bradley Beal remains happy with the situation in D.C. ahead of his upcoming free agency, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype said on his latest podcast.

Scotto identified Pistons forward Jerami Grant and Pacers center Domantas Sabonis as two potential targets to watch for the Wizards. Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report mentions the same two names in his look at Washington’s deadline options, referring to Sabonis as a player who has emerged as a “significant” target for the Wizards.

According to Fischer, there’s a belief Beal has signaled plans to re-sign with the Wizards in the offseason, and there has been no indication the team is willing to discuss him in trade talks on or before February 10. However, having slid down the standings since a 10-3 start, the club appears to be in the market for an impact player in order to help “solidify Beal’s standing” in Washington.

Here’s more on the Wizards:

One source with knowledge of the situation tell Bleacher Report that Beal hasn’t actively encouraged the Wizards to acquire Sabonis, but word around the league is that the Wizards star would welcome the opportunity to play with the big man, Fischer writes. The Kings and Pelicans are the other teams believed to have serious interest in Sabonis, per Fischer’s sources.
The Pacers‘ front office liked Rui Hachimura heading into the 2019 draft and considered Corey Kispert in the 2021 lottery, according to Fischer, who notes that at least two of Hachimura, Kispert, and Deni Avdija would probably have to be included in any package for Sabonis. The Wizards would also have to offer a player like Thomas Bryant or Montrezl Harrell for salary-matching purposes, plus possibly draft assets, and even that might not meet Indiana’s high asking price, says Fischer.
The Wizards have made outgoing calls to assess Harrell’s trade value, and rival executives believe they’re playing Bryant more lately in order to showcase him for a potential deal, writes Fischer.
Although the Wizards have made Spencer Dinwiddie available, his down year will make it more challenging to find a trade partner, per Fischer. “He needs the ball, he’s not good enough to have the ball, and he’s not a good shooter,” a Western Conference executive said to Bleacher Report.

Domantas Sabonis Enters COVID-19 Protocols

January 31st, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Pacers center Domantas Sabonis has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols and will miss Monday’s game vs. the Clippers, the team announced today (Twitter link).

If he registered a false positive or inconclusive test result, Sabonis could clear the protocols quickly. But if he tested positive for COVID-19, the big man figures to be sidelined for at least five or six days unless he can return two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart before then.

Sabonis, who recently missed four games due to an ankle sprain, had been terrific since returning, averaging 22.5 PPG, 16.5 RPG, 9.0 APG, and 1.5 BPG on 65.4% shooting in games in Oklahoma City and Dallas on Friday and Saturday.

With Sabonis unavailable, the Pacers could find themselves pretty shorthanded up front. Myles Turner (left foot) is also out, while Goga Bitadze (right foot) is questionable to play. As James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star writes, rookies Isaiah Jackson and Terry Taylor should be in line for larger roles, especially if Bitadze is ruled out.

As our tracker shows, Sabonis one of just seven players currently in the health and safety protocols, with the league’s COVID-19 situation looking a lot better than it did a month ago.

Central Notes: Sabonis, Lonzo, Vucevic, Holiday, Stewart

January 28th, 2022 at 10:02pm CST by Rory Maher

Pacers center Domantas Sabonis returned to action Friday at Oklahoma City, Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files tweets. Sabonis put up 24 points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and two blocks in Indiana’s 113-110 overtime victory. Sabonis missed four games with a sprained left ankle suffered Jan. 19 against the Lakers. We noted earlier this week that a weekend return was a possibility.

The two-time All-Star is having another strong season for Indiana, putting up 19.0 points, 11.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists per contest on .577/.327/.744 shooting through 44 games (34.9 minutes).

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Bulls guard Lonzo Ball had successful knee surgery to repair his torn meniscus, according to Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. If he returns within the projected six-to-eight week recovery period, Ball could be back in mid-to-late March.
Two-time All-Star Nikola Vucevic is having a disappointing individual season for Chicago, and James L. Jackson of FiveThirtyEight writes that the banged-up Bulls need the version of Vucevic they traded for last year. Vucevic is shooting just 33% from deep after shooting 40% last season, and his 49% mark on two-pointers is his lowest since 2016/17.
Pacers wing Justin Holiday is unvaccinated against COVID-19 and plans to remain that way, which could limit his appeal on the trade market somewhat because certain NBA cities have vaccine mandates, as James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star relays (via Twitter).
Second-year Pistons center Isaiah Stewart is a meticulous student of the game, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Stewart has recorded notes in a binder for every game he’s played in his young career, frequently watching film to monitor his progress. He said not afraid to ask questions to improve his game. “Growing up, I’ve just always asked questions,” Stewart said. “I want to learn more. I know I don’t know it all. If there’s something I don’t see or understand, I’m definitely going to ask instead of acting like I know it all. Bottom line: I want to learn.”