Reacting to the Sabonis-Haliburton Trade

On February 8th, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Indiana Pacers agreed to a trade that would send Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday, and a 2027 second-round pick to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson.

The NBA community has a very one-sided view of the trade thus far:

It’s a questionable decision from the Kings’ front office, especially after Haliburton vowed to stand by the floundering organization just two weeks ago. Sacramento needed to make a move, but it is strange that they would trade away a young, developing star like Haliburton. The Kings aren’t contenders, they aren’t even in the playoff picture. Why would they get rid of a player that was viewed by many Kings fans as a future franchise cornerstone?

It makes it all the more strange that the Kings didn’t trade Haliburton for a similarly promising young talent, or for more picks. A Haliburton trade would have made more sense if the return was another promising star, packaged alongside valuable picks—a chance to turn Haliburton into several young players with the potential to impact the team’s future.

Instead, they received Sabonis, who comes from a Pacers team that struggled with mediocrity throughout his entire career. Sabonis is a great player—a two-time All-Star, and only 25 years old—but he is limited. During his time with the Pacers, his team never made it past the first round. Sabonis is an excellent rebounder, a strong passer, and a capable scorer. He could make a great addition to a team looking to push itself over the hump into championship contention. However, he will never be the centerpiece of an elite offense, nor will he be an all-league defender.

Down the road, Haliburton could feasibly be both. He’s already an impressive passer—his 7.4 assists per game are the eleventh best in the league. His 14.3 points per game don’t put him in elite company, but he looks poised to improve as a scorer. He is a career 41.1 percent three-point shooter and only attempts two free throws a game. If Haliburton can add more three-point volume and get to the foul line more often, he could easily average 20+ points per game. Haliburton also looks like he could turn into a premier defender at the guard position. He’s already top 10 in steals per game (min. 20 games played) and his play will only improve as he gets more NBA experience.

Given Haliburton’s immense potential, it is hard to see this trade’s logic from the Kings’ perspective. They gave up their most promising young player for someone older, on a more expensive contract, and with a lower ceiling.

The other players featured in this trade don’t make the picture any clearer for the Kings. In addition to Haliburton, Sacramento gave up Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson. Losing Thompson isn’t too hard to swallow, and Hield had been a trade piece all year. However, with both Hield and Haliburton traded away, the Kings are without their two best shooters. None of the pieces they received in return can match what Hield and Haliburton gave the Kings from long range. Sabonis is a non-shooter, and while Jeremy Lamb and Justin Holiday are capable from beyond the arc, neither has proven to be as accurate or prolific as the players they replace.

So, the Kings downgraded their three-point attack, traded away a loyal young star that many see as a future all-NBA player, and received a talented but limited big man in return. It is hard to see how this shakes out well for them. Spacing is going to be a problem. With Sabonis and Richuan Holmes clogging the paint, point guard De’Aaron Fox shooting an abysmal 26.4 percent from three, and little shooting to complement from the wing, how will the Kings offense create open opportunities?

The Kings’ 29th ranked defense doesn’t seem to have improved either. Sabonis is average at best on that end of the floor and struggles to switch out onto the perimeter. Justin Holiday is a good defender, but the Kings also gave up their best defender at the guard position in Haliburton.

In the words of J.J. Redick, “Make it make sense!”

All that said, this trade does make a lot of sense from the Pacers’ perspective. They’ve had their eyes on a rebuild since December, and now they are well on their way. After trading Caris LeVert for three picks and Ricky Rubio’s expiring contract earlier this week, Indiana made another move and got themselves a franchise player at the guard position.

Haliburton’s fit also looks great on the Pacers. Malcolm Brogdon is an excellent player but Indiana asks him to do a lot from the guard position. Haliburton will lighten the burden of Brogdon’s playmaking duties and free him up to become the elite off-ball player that he was in Milwaukee.

Now that Sabonis is gone, Myles Turner will also find a more natural role in the Pacers’ offense. Turner is reportedly thrilled to be playing with Haliburton, and for good reason. After sharing the inside with Sabonis for years, Turner can now play the center position full-time. With Haliburton running the show, Turner will find more easy looks for himself on the inside. He can use his size and athleticism to catch lobs that weren’t always available alongside Sabonis.

The Pacers have also improved on the defensive side of the floor with this trade. Turner will continue to eat up all the space in the middle, while Haliburton and Brogdon hound opposing guards on the outside. The team will be more switchable without Sabonis. Those minutes will presumably go to superior athletes like Torrey Craig or Oshae Brissett. Right now, the Pacers are 26th in defensive rating. If Haliburton becomes the type of defender some think he could be, and if they manage to hold on to Myles Turner, Indiana could realistically become one of the best defenses in the NBA.

This trade is a huge win for the Pacers. Even if they continue to make moves in the next few days, they’ve begun to set a foundation for the future.

For Sacramento, it is more of the same. A team that hasn’t seen the playoffs since 2006 will probably miss it again. Even if Sabonis’ production is enough to push the Kings into the play-in tournament, trading for him keeps them further away from contention in the long run. The NBA community is right to disparage this move. The Kings might have messed up big time.

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