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Warriors
The idea of Golden State jumping into any Domantas Sabonis sweepstakes sounds fun, but Jake Fischer of The Stein Line is not buying it.
To match Sabonis’ $42 million salary, the Warriors would need to stack multiple rotation players onto Jonathan Kuminga’s $22.5 million number. That alone is a major obstacle.
The Warriors did have real interest in Sabonis before Indiana traded him in 2022, but the context is different now.
Fischer wrote that Golden State is not in the kind of spot where it feels the need to tear up its roster for a center who is neither a floor spacer nor a rim protector.
Sabonis is still an elite offensive hub. He just may not be the type of frontcourt piece the Warriors would go all in for at this stage.
Mavericks
There is a growing expectation in some pockets of the league that Anthony Davis and his representatives will seek a contract extension if he is traded in the coming months, per Fischer.
Davis is on a maximum salary deal that runs through 2026-27, then includes a player option worth $62.8 million for 2027-28.
If Davis wants to secure a new long-term contract that would begin in 2028, he will need to stay healthy and play at his usual All-Star level after he returns from his calf strain.
He has not played since late October and the Mavericks have struggled without him.
Any team trading for Davis would likely want some clarity on his future contract plans before making a move.
Magic
Rival cap strategists are keeping an eye on Orlando’s situation, specifically regarding Jonathan Isaac.
Fischer wrote that the Magic’s cap structure could eventually force them to move on from Isaac, whose four-year, $59 million deal becomes partially guaranteed in 2026-27 and fully non-guaranteed after that.
Isaac remains one of the league’s more unique defensive players, but injuries and salary slotting could put Orlando in a tough spot.
It is unclear whether the Magic would make Isaac available this season, but he is viewed as a name to watch moving forward.
Orlando has built a deep, balanced roster and may eventually need to make tough decisions to maintain flexibility.
The center and forward market continues to stack up with potential deadline names, and Isaac is another player front offices are tracking.
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