It's no secret that the Sacramento Kings have been looking to trade away Domantas Sabonis to lean further into their ongoing rebuild. And with the Kings having started the season with just one win in eight games, trade talks involving the Lithuanian big man are only going to heat up the deeper we progress into the new campaign.

To that end, ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel named the Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets as prime trade destinations for Sabonis.

“Two teams that looked to trade for him last year and had those trade conversations were the Toronto Raptors and the Charlotte Hornets,” Siegel said on the latest Clutch Scoops show. “The interest has not gone away. I can speak to that with certainty here. There's been no new dialogue to report here but those are two teams that we're keeping an eye on.”

(Fast forward to around the 33:30 mark.)

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Siegel then clarified why the Raptors or Hornets weren't able to trade for Sabonis last season. The Kings did not want to take on Jakob Poeltl's contract and could not find a third team to absorb the three years and $84 million left on his deal. Meanwhile, the Kings were demanding too much out of the Hornets (lottery picks during the 2026 NBA Draft) and Charlotte wasn't budging.

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But at this point, perhaps the Raptors would be more inclined to trade for Sabonis. Poeltl has struggled immensely to begin the 2026-27 season, and Collin Murray-Boyles hasn't yet solidified his place in the starting lineup.

Toronto also has the defenders to help cover for Sabonis' weaknesses on that end, and with the arrival of Kawhi Leonard, they are in win-now mode, which could nudge them towards a more aggressive approach on the trade market.

Maybe the Hornets get desperate as well considering that their offense is currently the worst in the NBA. They need a new offensive hub following the departure of LaMelo Ball and amid the injury to Kon Knueppel, and if they keep losing, maybe they swing a trade for the Kings center.