Former Gonzaga star Domantas Sabonis has an uncertain NBA address. There is considerably less ambiguity about where he considers home.
The Sacramento Kings big man returned to Spokane and posted photos from Gonzaga on Instagram on September 19, including a shot of himself working out beneath the sign for The Sabonis Family Strength and Conditioning Center. His caption was brief: a house emoji and a heart.
Simple enough. The timing gives it another layer.
Sabonis has spent the past several months surrounded by trade reports, including reporting that he wants a change of scenery from Sacramento. Nothing in Saturday’s post referenced the Kings or suggested his Gonzaga visit had anything to do with those reports. But it offered another reminder of a connection Sabonis made clear this summer is permanent, regardless of where his NBA career takes him next.
Domantas Sabonis Has Called Gonzaga ‘Home’
Sabonis and his wife, Shashana, made a significant gift to Gonzaga’s basketball program this summer, leading the university to rename its basketball strength and conditioning facility after the Sabonis family.
Gonzaga announced in July that it was the largest single gift to Gonzaga Athletics from a former men’s basketball player. The school also said Sabonis would remain involved with the program in a leadership and advisory capacity.
His remarks at the time make Saturday’s two-emoji Instagram caption fairly easy to decode.
“Gonzaga will always be home to us,” Sabonis said during the July dedication.
Sabonis played two seasons for Mark Few from 2014 through 2016 before entering the NBA Draft. He helped Gonzaga reach the 2015 Elite Eight and finished his college career with 694 rebounds while shooting 63.2% from the field, still the best career mark in program history.
Ten NBA seasons later, Spokane remains in the picture.
Sacramento is the complicated part.
Sabonis’ Kings Future Remains Unsettled
NBA insider Chris Haynes reported in June that Sabonis wanted a “change of scenery,” and the questions have persisted into September.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst also pointed to Sabonis’ offseason move to CAA and agent Aaron Mintz as noteworthy amid the uncertainty. Sabonis is eligible for an extension, while ESPN reported the Kings are not interested in extending him at this point. He has two guaranteed seasons and approximately $94 million remaining on his contract.
There has been a market — just apparently not one Sacramento likes enough yet.
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that Toronto discussed Sabonis with Sacramento, with talks more substantial around February’s trade deadline, while Charlotte has also remained involved in his trade market. Fischer said Sacramento has wanted “positive trade value” in return, a price other teams have been reluctant to meet.
Sabonis being discussed in trades does not mean a deal is imminent. In fact, Kings insider Matt George pushed back on a viral September report claiming a Charlotte deal was close, reporting Sacramento had not spoken with the Hornets since before the NBA Draft.
So Sabonis remains a King for now.
His latest Instagram post offered no clues about whether that will change. It did establish something else.
Whatever happens next in Sacramento, one of Gonzaga’s most accomplished former players still has his name on the wall in Spokane, and he is still coming home to use the gym.
Former Gonzaga Star Domantas Sabonis Makes Heartfelt Post Amid NBA Trade Rumors