NBA: Kings' Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine have season-ending surgeries

The Sacramento Kings, currently on a 14-game losing streak and at the bottom of the NBA standings, suffered another blow Wednesday as stars Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine underwent season-ending surgeries.

Sabonis, a three-time All-Star in the frontcourt, had an operation to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. He had returned to action in mid-January after missing 27 games following a mid-November injury. The 29-year-old averaged 15.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 29.7 minutes across 19 games (15 starts) this season.

LaVine, a two-time All-Star guard who will turn 31 on March 10, had been in and out of the lineup for 10 games due to a tendon injury in his right hand before opting for surgery. He last played on Feb. 6 in a home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. LaVine led the team with 19.2 points per game, along with 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 31.4 minutes in 39 games (37 starts).

Kings coach Doug Christie acknowledged the impact of losing both stars. “It makes it tough, man. You feel for Zach, you feel for ‘Domas’ because you know how much hard work they, and any professional athlete, put into achieving their dream of being successful,” Christie said.

“Unfortunate for us. But it will be more opportunities for some of our young players to continue developing and perform in high-leverage moments because we are here to win basketball games,” he added.

Christie emphasized that the team is not tanking to improve its draft lottery odds. “We want to win. That’s the bottom line. We want our guys to taste winning so they understand that the hard work in practice pays off and prepares them for the offseason in a meaningful way.”

Sabonis and LaVine are the Kings’ highest-paid players. LaVine has a $48.9 million player option for next season, while Sabonis has two years and $94 million remaining on his contract.

Sacramento will host the Orlando Magic on Thursday night. A 15th consecutive loss would set a franchise record for futility, surpassing the previous 14-game losing streaks from its days as the Cincinnati Royals.

LaVine was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 13th overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft out of UCLA. Over his career, he has averaged 20.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 32.7 minutes per game, hitting 1,632 career three-pointers in 693 regular-season games (602 starts) for Minnesota, the Chicago Bulls, and the Kings. He was an All-Star in 2021 and 2022.

Sabonis was drafted 11th overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2016 NBA Draft out of Gonzaga and traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder the same day. He has career averages of 16.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 30.8 minutes in 665 games (521 starts) with Oklahoma City, the Indiana Pacers, and the Kings. Sabonis was named an All-Star in 2020, 2021, and 2023.

—Field Level Media/Reuters