The Sacramento Kings will begin their 2025-26 NBA regular season on Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns. With the season set to begin, Sacramento still has question marks on the roster. What will Russell Westbrook's role be with the team? Is this Kings squad truly capable of making a postseason run? Will Zach LaVine end up getting traded?
With more questions than answers, there is reason for uncertainty. However, LaVine's trade interest recently received an update, via The Athletic NBA Daily.
"LaVine, no," Sam Amick responded when asked if he's heard of any teams having interest in LaVine ahead of the season.
LaVine's situation is difficult. He will make over $47 million this season and has a player option for almost $49 million next year. Unless he plays especially well during the 2025-26 campaign, one has to imagine LaVine will seriously consider accepting the player option.
At 30 years old, LaVine is still capable of making a positive impact. A two-time All-Star, Sacramento acquired him from the Chicago Bulls last year. He ultimately averaged 22.4 points, 3.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per outing across 32 total contests played with the Kings following the trade. It was an up-and-down year overall, but LaVine is still one of the best players on the roster.
The Kings could consider trading him if they fail to compete before the NBA trade deadline. With that being said, the chances of a team taking on LaVine's massive salary -- especially considering the player option -- are low. LaVine will need to play at an extremely high level in order to generate any kind of trade interest.
At the moment, there doesn't seem to be much interest from possible suitors -- something Amick confirmed. Sacramento is hopeful that Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan can help the Kings compete and make a run in the Western Conference this season. Of course, the West features plenty of talent, so realistically competing is going to be a challenge to say the least.
As for LaVine, all he can do is focus on his game and helping Sacramento win. At 30 years old, he knows that a big season could lead to a respectable contract in free agency if he were to opt out of his deal. This is a big year for the veteran guard.
The Kings and Suns will begin the 2025-26 campaign on Wednesday night at 10 PM EST in Phoenix.