NBA Trades: Both sides of the Domantas Sabonis-Tyrese Haliburton trade

Why the Domantas Sabonis trade was good for the Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings just traded away Tyrese Haliburton. Need I go on?

The guard, who finished third in Rookie of the Year voting a year ago and is looking even better as a sophomore, is no longer in northern California. He’s in Indiana, much to the delight of Pacers fans.

As mentioned, Sabonis is a better player today. But Haliburton is 21 years old and has sky-high potential. Will he still be the better player in two seasons from now? Four? Not to mention, Sabonis is only under contract for two more seasons, while Haliburton would be under team control (with restricted free agency) for much longer.

Less than two seasons into his career, the Iowa State product has shown flashes of becoming an All-Star. He’s a stud on defense, hits over 40 percent of his triples, and makes smart passes. He’s someone you could build a team around.

That’s the frustration coming from Kings fans. Not only was he a fan favorite, but he’s also a phenomenal building block and the team’s best draft pick in years. And now he’s gone.

I’m sure the fact that Sacramento still has De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell in the backcourt played into the trade, but if I had to pick one of those players to get rid of, it definitely wouldn’t be Haliburton.

Then there’s the Hield aspect. For a while now, the wing has been a highly sought-after trade target. In this blockbuster move, he almost feels like an afterthought. The rebuilding Pacers can now flip him to a contender while the Kings try to move up the standings. He’s also one of the league’s premier perimeter shooters, averaging 3.3 three-point makes this season.

Whether or not the move turns out to be a good one, one thing is for certain – this will be a much-discussed trade both this season and for years to come. The Pacers come away as obvious winners, but if a few things roll their way, the Sacramento Kings aren’t flat-out losers, either.