Deveney: Sabonis isn’t trying to sabotage Acuff or the Kings

Heavy.com NBA writer Sean Deveney said his reporting on Domantas Sabonis and rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. was about competing priorities in Sacramento, not a personal feud between the two players.

“I never said that there’s beef or anything between these guys,” Deveney told Sactown Sports’ The Drive Guys. He said his point was that “there’s competing agendas” between what some Kings veterans want for the rest of their careers and what the franchise wants as it rebuilds.

The hosts said the discussion intensified after Deveney’s article was summarized online as Sabonis being “not enthused about playing with a ball-dominant guard like Acuff.”

Deveney explained that Sabonis, 30, is at a different stage of his career than Acuff, who will turn 20 later this month, and the Kings’ other young players.

“He’s gone from, you know, averaging 15, 16 shots a game to now around eight,” Deveney said of Sabonis. “He took four shots last [on Monday in Dallas].”

Sacramento Kings PG Darius Acuff Jr. & center Domantas Sabonis (Getty Images)

More on Darius Acuff Jr. & Domantas Sabonis

He added that Sabonis would naturally want the production that could help attract trade interest and a new contract, while Sacramento is trying to get younger and develop its draft picks.

Still, Deveney rejected the idea that Sabonis is trying to hurt the team or Darius Acuff.

“I know he’s not going out there trying to sabotage anything,” he said. “When you step between the lines, I think his basketball instincts take over, and he plays. He’s professional about it.”

Deveney said Sacramento may seek a first-round pick for Sabonis and could benefit from moving his salary to create significant cap space for next summer.

He described those goals as part of the team’s rebuild, while noting the challenge of balancing them with Sabonis’ contract interests and desire to put up numbers.

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 24: Domantas Sabonis #11 of the Sacramento Kings reacts after he made the game-winning basket against Lauri Markkanen #23 and Walker Kessler #24 of the Utah Jazz at Golden 1 Center on October 24, 2025 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

The Drive Guys also revisited Sabonis’ public comments after Acuff took 24 shots in a game, when Sabonis said the team needed to get him the ball more.

Allen Stiles argued the remarks should have been handled privately, saying, “There is a time and a place to have that conversation.”

But Deveney’s reporting, as he described it, was about Sacramento’s rebuild and the veteran’s career timeline—not evidence that Sabonis dislikes playing with Darius Acuff Jr.

Listen to The Drive Guys from 2 – 6 p.m. PST, Monday through Friday, on Sactown Sports 1140.

Click here for full episodes of The Drive Guys.

More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports

• Darius Acuff Jr. is already placing his name among NBA elites
• There is no drama between Darius Acuff Jr. & Domantas Sabonis
• Jerry Reynolds questions the Kings’ heavy starter minutes
• Sam Amick shares his intel on Doug Christie’s job security with the Kings

Sacramento Kings 2026-27 Regular Season Schedule

• Wednesday, November 4th vs. Los Angeles Lakers (7:00 P.M. PT)
• Friday, November 6th vs. San Antonio Spurs (7:00 P.M. PT)
• Sunday, November 8th vs. Miami Heat (6:00 P.M. PT)
• Tuesday, November 10th vs. Orlando Magic (7:00 P.M. PT)
• Friday, November 13th vs. Portland Trail Blazers (7:00 P.M. PT)

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