Domantas Sabonis, Anthony Davis' Top Trade Landing Spots After 2026 NBA Draft
Neither Domantas Sabonis or Anthony Davis were traded ahead of the first round of the 2026 NBA draft on Tuesday, but it's possible both will be changing addresses sometime this summer.
Below, we'll break down potential landing spots for both big men.
Sabonis - Charlote Hornets
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The Hornets have been a popular potential destination for Sabonis in trade rumors this summer, and it makes sense—they have a talented young core in LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel and a need for an upgrade in the frontcourt.
Whether Sabonis is the best fit for Charlotte's swashbuckling play style is debatable, but his career averages of 16.1 points and 10.7 rebounds per game will certainly improve the team in the halfcourt.
The Kings, meanwhile, need to blow it all up and start from scratch. Trading Sabonis would be a logical place to start.
Sabonis - Toronto Raptors
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Rumors have suggested that the Raptors could be in the market for Sabonis, dating back to February's trade deadline.
Adding Sabonis would consolidate Toronto's core around Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram and the newly-acquired big man, with players like Immanuel Quickley, Collin Murray-Boyles and Ja'Kobe Walter in complementary roles.
One would imagine that Jakob Poeltl might be on the move in a separate deal if Sabonis is acquired, however. So this one might have a lot of moving pieces.
AD - Golden State Warriors
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This one would have perhaps made more sense before the draft, when the Warriors could have flipped Jimmy Butler and the No. 11 pick to the Washington Wizards for Davis. Instead, the Wizards would be asking for future draft capital in the deal.
Given Butler's uncertain timeline from the torn ACL he suffered in January, he's essentially salary matching in this trade, with the draft capital being the more intriguing return for the Wizards. They may not mind—even with Trae Young signing a massive contract to stay in Washington, the Wizards may be better off letting their young guys gain experience and while staying in the lottery positions.
The Warriors, meanwhile, could pair Davis with Stephen Curry, a very logical one-two combination. Add in Draymond Green—and perhaps LeBron James in free agency—and the Warriors would have quite the interesting collection of veteran stars.
Good enough to compete with the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs in the West? Perhaps not, but the Warriors need to try to maximize Curry's years as best they can. This is one option.
AD - Detroit Pistons
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OK, this is admittedly a weird one. But hear us out.
Jalen Duren's brutal postseason made it painfully obvious that the Detroit Pistons don't have a true No. 2 option behind Cade Cunningham. Davis could certainly step into that role while still providing a solid defensive presence. It would require a sign-and-trade, but a player like Duren would be far more aligned with Washington's young core than Davis.
Detroit would be getting a lot older by doing this, no doubt. They'd be giving up a 23-year-old, who was just an All-Star, for potentially just one year of Davis (or they could seek assurances that AD would be open to an extension). They'd be taking on Davis' long history of injury issues. There are a lot of reasons to not like this move.
But... a healthy Davis would raise this team's ceiling. Cunningham would finally have a true, dynamic No. 2 option on offense. If everything went right, the Pistons might finally be able to get over the hump.
It would probably be a pretty easy yes from the Wizards, even if it would require a massive contract for Duren. For the Pistons, it would be a risky win-now move that might look very, very bad in a few years. But if the Pistons feel their upside would be limited over the long term by paying Duren a massive contract, this type of deal could be a worthwhile alternative.
