ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that Kings standout Domantas Sabonis has partially torn his left meniscus. Sabonis will be re-evaluated in three-to-four weeks, but at the time, will not require surgery to correct the damage.
Sabonis has averaged 17.2 points and 12.3 rebounds on 51.0% shooting from the field in 11 of Sacramento’s 15 games this season. Due to left knee pain, he did not play in the team’s Wednesday night loss to the Thunder. However, additional testing showed that he had a meniscus tear.
Due to a hamstring strain and a rib injury, Sabonis has already missed three more games this season. The 29-year-old’s knee injury is the most recent in a string of illnesses.
The Kings have dropped seven straight games by double digits and are at 3-12 on the season. With a three-year contract for $146.8 million, Sabonis is the highest-paid player on the Kings roster.
The big man’s passing is another setback to the Kings’ already dismal season. Sacramento has lost seven straight games and hasn’t won since November 5.
Despite being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, Sabonis helped the Kings end their 16-year playoff drought in 2022–2023 by finishing the season as the third seed in the Western Conference.
