The Sacramento Kings have enjoyed watching Darius Acuff Jr. take off, but are facing an internal problem with their roster as Domantas Sabonis isn’t too keen on playing alongside him.
According to Sean Deveney, of Heavy.com, Sabonis doesn’t appear to enjoy Acuff Jr.’s play style and the Kings could be willing to part ways with Sabonis via trade this season or during the summer.
“Sabonis has some hope, because teams always need size, and if he is not traded this season, he should be dealt off next summer. The Kings have no interest in keeping him there, and he is not enthused about playing with a ball-dominant guard like Acuff,” Deveney reported.
Deveney added that while teams could be looking to acquire Sabonis, the likelihood of Sacramento receiving a first-round pick for him is unlikely, and would be considered “a major score, and a long shot.”
Denevy added that due to Sacramento’s 0-6 start to the season, moving off from their star center could make it easier for them, as they could embrace tanking this season.
For the last five seasons, Sabonis has been a mainstay in the Kings lineup and is one of the last remaining players from the team’s 2022-2023 playoff appearance, which snapped a 16-year drought.
While the Kings ended up losing the opening series against the Warriors, they took the reigning NBA champions to the limit by going seven games.
Since then, the Kings have found themselves rebuilding from the ground up, yet again.
Acuff Jr. appears to be part of the Kings’ future, as he was taken with the No.7 pick of the NBA Draft this past summer and has had a promising start to the season, averaging 26 points through six games.
