Chris Duarte was surprised by trade from Indiana Pacers, excited to join Domantas Sabonis and Sacramento Kings

Duarte spent the first two seasons of his career with the Pacers

Chris Duarte was traded from the Indiana Pacers to the Sacramento Kings 11 days ago. The Pacers moved on from the 2021 lottery pick in exchange for two second-round draft picks — one via the Dallas Mavericks in 2028 and another via the Kings in 2030.

For the Pacers, it had to be difficult to trade Duarte for second rounders after his promising rookie campaign. But his down year in 2022-23, combined with the team's logjam at the guard/wing spots, made a deal make sense. The Kings got to take a flier on an inexperienced wing with upside.

Duarte spoke to reporters who cover the Kings in Las Vegas last week at Summer League and discussed the trade, one that would have been nearly impossible to predict from the Pacers side as recently as one year ago.

"I'm just excited," Duarte said of his new opportunity, per a video posted by the Kings. The 26-year old said he is looking forward to playing with his new team and reuniting with center Domantas Sabonis, who was Duarte's teammate for part of his rookie season.

The two paired well together. The Pacers, who went 25-57 two seasons ago, had a +1.5 net rating with both Sabonis and Duarte on the court together, per pbpstats. Duarte's shooting and movement abilities go well with Sabonis' ability to screen, run dribble handoffs, and add structure to an offense.

Sabonis was a valuable teammate for Duarte when he entered the NBA. With Indiana, the two did more than just play well together. They were close off the court as well. During his media availability with Sacramento reporters, Duarte mentioned that Sabonis took him under his wing somewhat during the 2021-22 season.

"I really appreciate him. Great dude, great person... I could sit here and talk about him for hours," he said. He noted their chemistry on and off the court, and the two linked up for dinner when Indiana visited Sacramento during the season. Duarte got to meet Sabonis' young son at the time.

The Oregon product is more than just a good partner with Sabonis for the Kings. He noted that he thinks he can be a great shooter for his new club, and he improved at finding space to get open during his second season. In a more structured offense in Sacramento, he should be able to get good looks from everywhere.

Duarte averaged 7.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game for the Pacers last season. Injuries and fit issues led to a down year for the Dominican wing, and he never found his groove outside of a few excellent outings.

After taking a step back, Indiana acquired Ben Sheppard in the draft before signing Bruce Brown in free agency. The team already had barely enough minutes to go around on the wing, and now playing time would be spread even thinner. Trading Duarte made sense, even if it was painful after he landed on the NBA All-Rookie second team in 2021-22.

The now-Kings wing said he was surprised to be dealt at first. "Yes. I'm not going to lie. It was a surprise for me," he said. He was at home with his family when he got the call telling him he would be moved. "I go wherever God takes me. If this is where he wants me to be, I'm happy," 

Duarte was reflective, saying that he learned from his injury-filled second campaign. He now has more knowledge about how to better take care of his body over the course of a season. His left ankle, which kept him out often last year, is now fully healed, though he admitted he may have rushed to return from one of his absences last season just to get back to playing.

That team-first mentality is good, but it may have hurt Duarte last year. He learned from that and can apply it to Sacramento. "I'm willing to do whatever I need to do to help this team," he said.

The Pacers cleared a logjam and grabbed assets that are better for their situation. The Kings, who traded away their first round pick in the most recent draft, netted a talented young player who could help them right away. It was logical trade, something the two franchises have connected on before.

For Chris Duarte, being moved could be the fresh start he needs after a weak season. Being back with one of his best on-court partners should help, too.

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