The Sacramento Kings fired up a trade late last week with the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and they shouldn't stop there.
The current roster construction clearly isn't working, as a healthy core out in Sacramento has wildly underperformed. The Kings are viewed as a team that should be selling at the deadline, which means their top players should be on the block. One of them will certainly have a difficult time moving, though, due to his contract situation.
Zach LaVine's massive deal has always been a heavy weight in trade discussions. When he was with the Chicago Bulls, LaVine was a popular trade target for teams, but discussions always stopped at his contract. He's in the midst of a five-year deal, worth $215 million.
While the 30-year-old's contract is reaching the final stages, that's when a player in his position typically gets moved if the situation isn't right. However, LaVine has the power on one more year with a player option for 2026-2027. As teams land intel on LaVine's mindset regarding that option, he will likely be a much harder sell for the Kings ahead of this year's trade deadline.
"A league source indicates that veteran guard Zach LaVine fully intends on picking up his player option for next season," The Athletic's Sam Amick wrote just days before the deadline.
If that's indeed the case, a team would pick up the tab on the remainder of LaVine's $47.4 million contract this year, while inheriting the $48.9 million salary for next season. A hefty price tag for a player that hasn't reached All-Star status in years.
Last year, LaVine wrapped up an eight-year run with the Bulls. After seeing the court for 42 games, he was traded to the Kings, who were hoping to get a boost for a playoff run that never happened. In 32 games, LaVine produced 22.4 points per game, while shooting 44 percent from deep. He also dished out 3.8 assists per game.
This season, LaVine checked in for 37 games so far. His scoring is down to 19.8 points per game, as his assist numbers are too, dropping to 2.3 per game.
The Kings are last in the Western Conference with a 12-39 record. They are in the midst of a 1-9 10-game stretch, losing nine in a row. Sacramento has one more game left before the deadline kicks in on Thursday. They could have a much different look by Friday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
As much as moving LaVine makes sense for the Kings, the contract might handcuff Sacramento. Barring any unexpected changes in LaVine's mindset, interested teams just might be willing to wait it out on the veteran forward, eyeing his true contract season as the right time to pick him up, rather than committing to an expensive one-and-a-half-year deal.
Newsweek