Yes, Zach LaVine hasn't exactly panned out for the Sacramento Kings as they hoped. And he has an expensive albatross of a contract that's preventing the front office from trading him. But another season with LaVine as a King could actually work out for Sacramento in a major way.
If Sactown fans are going to be fair to LaVine, they have to acknowledge the fact that there was no real strategy in trading for him. Monte McNair brought both him and DeMar DeRozan in because of their shooting. Fair, but there's more to a basketball team than that, and nothing else came together.
It also has to be acknowledged that the coaching change wasn't easy on LaVine. Doug Christie's laser focus on defense forced him to play against type, decreasing his efficiency and effectiveness on the court. Frankly, it didn't seem like LaVine and Christie were getting along particularly well.
Just because the 2025-2026 season didn't go great for LaVine on the Kings doesn't mean the same thing has to happen in 2026-2027. LaVine is a solid shooter, and the updated Sacramento roster is better suited to use him the way he was meant to be. Still, there's more to this situation than that.
A good Zach LaVine is a tradeable Zach LaVine
Even if the first part of this season goes well, it's hard to see the Kings committing to LaVine in the long-term. They definitely don't want to keep paying him the kind of money he's currently getting, and LaVine is unlikely to stay in Sacramento for less than that. It's a relationship that has run its course.
As such, the end of this contract is the end of LaVine's era in Sacramento. At this point, it's less than a year away, but the Kings might want to get something for LaVine rather than him just walking away in free agency. That's why helping him succeed in the first part of the season is important.
By the trade deadline, the remaining time and money on his contract will be a fraction of what they are now. If he also has a great top half of the season, LaVine suddenly becomes a potential mid-season addition to any team looking for someone to help get them over the line.
For the Kings, that likely leads to a trade for draft picks that gives them some immediate salary cap freedom as well as the means to keep the rebuild moving. The other option is to just let him play out the season and ride off into the sunset, for better or worse. The trade seems better.
Add us as a preferred source on Google