The Toronto Raptors came close to acquiring Domantas Sabonis once. A three-team trade involving the Los Angeles Clippers could provide a path back to the negotiating table.
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported Tuesday on Bleacher Report’s “NBA Insider Notebook” that Toronto and Charlotte showed trade interest in Sabonis. Fischer said the Raptors held more focused and serious discussions with Sacramento before the February trade deadline.
Those talks ultimately collapsed over a contract the Kings refused to inherit.
Sacramento nearly traded Sabonis to Toronto in a package featuring RJ Barrett, ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported in August. However, the Raptors could not find another team willing to absorb the three years and approximately $84 million remaining on Jakob Poeltl’s extension, The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported in February.
Los Angeles could help remove that obstacle in a hypothetical three-team deal.
Raptors-Kings-Clippers Trade Proposal
Raptors receive: Domantas Sabonis
Kings receive: RJ Barrett, Max Strus, Ja’Kobe Walter
Clippers receive: Jakob Poeltl, Toronto’s 2029 second-round pick
The construction works financially and gives every team a discernible reason to participate.
Sabonis will earn $45.47 million in 2026-27. Toronto would send approximately $52.93 million through Barrett, Poeltl and Walter, creating nearly $7.5 million in additional room beneath the first apron.
Sacramento would move Sabonis’ $45.47 million salary and receive approximately $50.09 million through Barrett, Strus and Walter.
Barrett would remain the centerpiece of the return. Strus would provide shooting on an expiring $16.66 million contract, giving Sacramento substantially more flexibility than Poeltl’s long-term deal. Walter, the No. 19 pick in the 2024 NBA draft, would provide the young asset needed to address the Kings’ demand for positive value.
Walter is owed $3.81 million this season, with a team option for 2027-28. Including him would allow Toronto to retain Collin Murray-Boyles and rookie Allen Graves, two young frontcourt players who fit naturally around Sabonis, Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes.
Why Clippers Could Facilitate Sabonis Trade
The Clippers would exchange Strus for Poeltl, adding a proven starting center following Ivica Zubac’s departure.
Brook Lopez is 38 and entering the final guaranteed season of his contract. Poeltl would give Los Angeles a younger interior anchor under team control through 2029-30.
Toronto’s 2029 second-round pick would compensate the Clippers for accepting Poeltl’s remaining commitment. Los Angeles has added motivation to replenish its draft capital after the NBA stripped the franchise of five future first-round picks in its salary-cap circumvention punishment.
The Clippers would send out $16.66 million and receive Poeltl’s $19.5 million salary. That exchange fits within the matching allowance available to a team operating below the first apron.
Sabonis Would Transform Raptors’ Offense
Sabonis would give Toronto something its Leonard-Barnes core otherwise lacks: an elite offensive organizer at center.
The three-time All-Star could initiate possessions from the elbows, create shots through dribble handoffs and punish defenses with screens and short-roll passing. Leonard and Barnes would spend less time manufacturing difficult possessions, while Immanuel Quickley would gain one of the league’s most accomplished screeners.
Sabonis averaged 15.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists across 19 appearances last season before undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.
His defense would present legitimate postseason questions. Sabonis is not a natural rim protector, and Toronto would lose an important downhill scorer in Barrett.
The Raptors also have little room for another failed gamble after committing two first-round picks and a swap to their planned Leonard reunion.
Still, this proposal directly addresses the issue that hampered the previous negotiations. Sacramento would avoid Poeltl, the Clippers would fill their opening at center and Toronto would unite Sabonis with Leonard and Barnes without surrendering another first-round selection.
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