Per ESPN's Tim McMahon, Sacramento Kings big man Domantas Sabonis is unhappy and wants out. It's easy to see why: the Sacramento Kings are years away from being a playoff-caliber team, and Sabonis is 30 years old; he doesn't want to spend the rest of his prime rebuilding.
Given Rudy Gobert's well-documented offensive struggles, some social media speculation suggests the Minnesota Timberwolves would entertain trading for Sabonis to get a big man who can score more.
Even though Gobert's offensive flaws have been more frustrating than usual at the start of the season, the Wolves would be crazy even to consider this move. The defense would fall off a cliff, and they don't really need any of Sabonis' strengths.
Trading for Domantas Sabonis would be a horrible move for the Minnesota Timberwolves
Sabonis is a polarizing player, and in many ways, he's similar to former Wolves forward Julius Randle. It's not that he's a bad player by any means, but that his skill set is extremely hard to win with in the playoffs if he's a featured guy. The good in Sabonis' game is that he might be the NBA's best rebounder, and he's an extremely high-IQ playmaker.
However, his flaws are what make him so tough to build around. He doesn't defend much of anything at the rim, and on offense he's extremely limited as a scorer. If you look purely at percentages, he's a good floor-spacer, but that isn't the reality. He's shooting 50 percent on 3-pointers this season, but in seven games, he's shot two and made one. Theoretically, he's a capable shooter, but teams don't treat him like one.
The things he does well, the Wolves already do well as a team. His playmaking is good, but the Wolves have LaMelo Ball now, who's an even better playmaker, plus Anthony Edwards, who already has a ton of usage. The Wolves have also been a great rebounding team this season, which is the other elite skill Sabonis provides.
Rudy Gobert's flaws are easier to hide than Domantas Sabonis'
As frustrating as Gobert has been on offense, his flaws on that side of the ball are much easier to stomach than Sabonis' on defense. Gobert's been solid on defense and on the glass so far this season, making him extremely valuable to winning games, especially with Edwards out for a while.
Replacing Gobert with Sabonis would give the Wolves not only a lower floor but a lower ceiling. As Edwards and Ball enter their primes, the Wolves need a roster that maximizes them; adding Sabonis wouldn't. Sabonis will likely be traded, and some teams could use him, but the Wolves are absolutely not one of them.
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