DomantasSabonis

Preseason question: Can a different franchise make better use of his talents? Sabonis gets a bad rap. His defense is a problem, but he is arguably the best rebounder in the NBA, one of the better passers at his position, and one of the most reliable everyday competitors in the league (excluding last season, when a knee injury limited him to just 19 games). Still, Sabonis is an awkward fit on a rebuilding team that just drafted a new—also undersized and defensively challenged—franchise point guard in Darius Acuff Jr. The Kings have dangled Sabonis on the trade market for years and haven’t gotten a bite, but a few macro-trends might restore some of his shine around the NBA. The league values size and playmaking more than ever, increased parity and flatter new lottery odds have changed the incentives for contending and rebuilding teams alike, and people who leave the Kings have done pretty well for themselves. If Sabonis can start the season healthy and productive, we’d love to see a more enterprising team buy low on his uncommon skill set.