Insider reveals that the Kings are still trying to fleece the Chicago Bulls

Despite reports that Malik Monk plans on signing a four-year, 78-million dollar extension to remain with the Sacramento Kings, it looks like the team has not pulled out of the Zach LaVine sweepstakes.

On Friday, in a news dump, Yahoo Sports Insider Jake Fischer added some color to the situation:

""If there’s any suitor for LaVine that seems most likely at this juncture, it would be the Kings. Sacramento remains active in exploring trade opportunities for Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter, league sources told Yahoo Sports, with Huerter receiving a healthy amount of external interest. The Kings, at this juncture, are still considering trade possibilities for their No. 13 overall pick in Wednesday’s draft as well, sources said, with combo guard Malik Monk, a top Sixth Man of the Year candidate, agreeing to stay with Sacramento and his close friend, All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox.""

- Jake Fischer, Yahoo Sports

This is a bit of a head-scratcher to me, as LaVine and Monk's skillsets and potential duties on this team overlap quite a bit. But after seeing what happened with the Oklahoma City Thunder, I can see why the Kings would be eager to do business with the Chicago Bulls.

For those who missed out, on Thursday, the Bulls traded Alex Caruso (arguably the best perimeter defender on the planet) to the Thunder in a clean swap for Josh Giddey (a player who got played off the floor in the second round against the Dallas Mavericks). While I'm sure the Bulls have their reasons for making this deal (maybe they see something in Giddey that we don't), on the surface, this seems like a massive fleece by the Thunder.

Maybe the Kings are thinking they can do the same thing to the Bulls with LaVine? After a down season, the two-time All-Star's value is at an all-time low. What if the Kings could take advantage of this situation and nab the 29-year-old for pennies on the dollar right before his breakout season? Even if he isn't a great fit, a bargain deal is still a bargain deal.

That would be another massive win in an offseason that has already seen the Kings re-sign Mike Brown (the best coach they've had in the last decade and a half) and Monk. It looks like the culture is really changing in Sacramento after all.