Following the Sacramento Kings blockbuster trade with the Indiana Pacers that landed Domantas Sabonis, Sabonis joined a franchise that has guard De’Aaron Fox firmly entrenched as their franchise cornerstone.
Sabonis was surprised about how Fox received him despite his standing with the franchise.
“I was really surprised,” Sabonis said, during an interview with ESPN’s Zach Lowe. “He (De’Aaron Fox) has been with the Kings forever. This is his team. He really let me do my thing. Not many franchise point guards would let their big man bring the ball up. He ran with me. He set screens for me. That’s what shocked me most. That’s what made the transition so easy. Neither of us care who is who. We just want to win.”
“We never even talked about the trade,” Fox said. “I told him how crazy our fans are — how much they cheer our team.”
Sabonis and Fox have been successful, and have led the Kings to clinch their first winning season since 2006 and are well on their way to clinching a playoff berth.
“That’s how things can switch,” Sabonis says of the Kings’ turnaround. “As a competitor, there’s nothing I like more than a challenge — to help change the direction of a franchise. All of that was very exciting. It added spice to my career.”
Sabonis averaged 19.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 7.2 assists this season with Sacramento.
