Insider: Kings Rejected A Trae Young-Zach LaVine Trade Due To Excessive Contract Demands
Credits: Getty Images (Zach LaVine), Imagn Images (Trae Young)
The Sacramento Kings reportedly rejected a trade package before the 2026 February trade deadline that would have landed them the four-time All-Star Trae Young.
According to James Ham, the Kings’ insider at ESPN, the team had an offer that would have sent Zach LaVine to the Atlanta Hawks, but they refused it because of Young’s contract extension demands.
Ham said the Kings’ situation with Domantas Sabonis is very similar to what the Hawks faced with Trae Young before the 2026 February trade deadline. He then spoke about the offer.
“The Kings, of course, had been offered Trae Young at one point in exchange for Zach LaVine. Zach LaVine to Atlanta and Trae Young to the Sacramento Kings. From what I know, the Kings said no to that deal,” Ham said.
“Very specifically, according to a source of mine, they said no because they knew that the second he got off a plane, he would want an extension. And the Kings were not fully prepared to be in the long-term Trae Young business. And so they said no,” he revealed.
“Rightfully so. They have their own agenda here. And it did not include bringing in Trae Young on a potential $250-$300 million extension,” Ham added in the latest episode of the Locked On Kings podcast.
The Kings already have a promising young point guard in Darius Acuff Jr., and bringing on Trae Young ahead of him would have severely stunted his growth.
Instead, they added Ben Simmons as a backup point guard who will compete with Acuff for minutes rather than demanding them as soon as he hits the ground.
Moreover, Trae Young is coming off an injury-riddled season in which he missed most of the season due to a combination of a right MCL strain and quadriceps and lower-back injuries.
In 2025-26, Young averaged 17.9 points, 8.0 assists, and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 45.8% from the field and 33.8% from the three-point line. These are career lows for him, which are even worse than his rookie season.
So his injuries, combined with defensive woes even in peak health, apparently deterred the Kings from taking up the offer. Young was eventually traded to the Wizards, where he signed a four-year, $212.8 million extension this summer.
With the Kings wanting to build around Keegan Murray and Darius Acuff Jr. for their long-term future, such a contract would have been like an albatross around Sacramento’s neck.
Meanwhile, the Kings’ star Zach LaVine’s future was uncertain this summer as he had to choose between a $48.9 million player option and free agency amid buyout rumors.
They could have gotten rid of Zach LaVine last season, but now it seems the Kings are leaning toward keeping him instead of trading him. Since the Bulls decided to blow things up and trade LaVine two years ago, he seems to have found a footing in Sacramento.
It is fascinating to imagine what it could have been like with LaVine in Atlanta and Young in Sacramento, but the Kings think they made the right choice by rejecting that deal. Things would have looked very different if Young had joined the Kings instead of the Wizards.