Bye-bye Ty; Kings acquire Sabonis from Pacers

If there was ever a time for Sacramento Kings fans to realize that the NBA is a business first, it was Tuesday at 10:28am PT when they were hit with the news.

The Sacramento Kings have traded Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson to the Indiana Pacers for Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lam, Justin Holiday, and a 2023 second-round pick.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to break the news and was so eager to be first that he butchered the names and details of the trade.

Nevertheless, a bold move indeed and a necessary one for SacTown.

While Ty was beloved in Sacramento for his charisma and star potential on and off the court, the fact is that the Kings are a total mess right now and general manager Monte McNair had to change it up. In just 1.5 seasons in the league, Haliburton quickly ascended as the Kings’ most prized asset, and his value likely would never be higher. So, they snagged a 25-year-old two-time All-Star for the kid from Kenosha, WI.

Not to be overlooked, but the Buddy Love era is now officially over. The Bahamian bomber was both loved and despised by fans, but his absence will be clearly evident. Regardless of which side of the fence you are on.

The Kings are likely not done yet. Marvin Bagley remains on the roster, as well as Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes. Not saying that the latter two need to go, but the move for Sabonis clearly signaled a shift towards building a team around De’Aaron Fox’s strengths and more moves will be needed to accomplish that.