The Sacramento Kings want to move on from Zach LaVine, but he has a player option he's likely to take that will make him difficult to trade. There's a real chance he ends up on the roster for all of 2026-2027, leaving the Kings with two options: use him properly or bench him until next summer.
LaVine's time on the Kings hasn't exactly been great, and it's not his fault. Sacramento's former front office built an imbalanced roster with no rhythm between the players, which had no chance of winning. From day one in Sactown, LaVine was in a terrible position well beyond his control.
Things got much worse for LaVine when Doug Christie became head coach. He is single-minded when it comes to defense, something that LaVine is not particularly good at. Christie pushed him to be better on defense while shying away from using LaVine correctly on offense.
LaVine has one year left on his contract, a player option worth almost $49 million. The expectation is that he'll take the option, as LaVine will get way less money than that on the open market. That absurdly high salary will also make him difficult to trade, putting the Kings in a rough spot.
The Kings have two moves with LaVine if he stays
Assuming LaVine takes the option and the Kings don't buy him out or can't trade him, that means he's on the roster for one more season. That's obviously not the best situation for a team with massive money problems that wants to make room on their payroll and their roster for a new player or two.
Option one is to just let LaVine ride the pine through 2026-2027. Keeping him off the court would give the young guns more time to develop individually and as a team. The Kings know they're not keeping LaVine in the long run, so there's no sense in giving him valuable minutes on the court.
The downside to that it's kind of a waste of money. Honestly, the better choice would be to just put him in the rotation and use him correctly. Stop trying to force him to play defense and get him open for shots. That's when he's at his best. If he's on the team, they might as well put him to good use.
LaVine might not take the option. If he does, the Kings might trade him. And if they can't, they might buy him out. If none of that happens, and that scenario is definitely possible, Sacramento has to know what they're doing with him. The other option is just treading water with no direction.
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