The Sacramento Kings are between a rock and a hard place with Zach LaVine if he takes his player option. Trading him will be incredibly difficult given how expensive the last year on his contract is. That will make such a move almost impossible and their free agency moves will be limited at best.
At this point in the history of the Kings, it's safe to say that the LaVine experiment in Sacramento has been a complete disaster. It has resulted in the second worst season in the history of the franchise since it moved to the West Coast in 1985. That's no exactly a high water mark for success.
Part of the problem is that LaVine and current head coach Doug Christie don't really get along. The main issue seems to be LaVine's inability to play defense, which is the focus of Christie's coaching. To be fair, the LaVine situation was tenuous at best before the coaching change.
Naturally, the Kings would love to trade LaVine, but they're stuck waiting on his player option. If he takes it, that would mean he is a King for another season at a rate of almost $49 million. There's no way that doesn't make trading him at least ten times harder.
Getting out of the LaVine business is complicated to say the least
LaVine is a shooter's shooter, plain and simple. When put in the game as a primary scoring option, he generates good offence. But he's also not someone to build around and he's most certainly not worth the money the Kings are likely to end up paying him next season. Other teams will feel the same way.
The reality is that LaVine is getting overpaid by at a bare minimum of 50%, and the entire league knows it. There are teams that would be interested in his services but not at that price. That kind of money limits a team's ability to make other moves, an issue the Kings keep running into.
If Sacramento wants to move LaVine sooner rather than later via a trade with another team, they are going to have to lower their asking price significantly. He presents a major financial burden with his current contract. The King will have to sweeten the pot to turn browsers in to buyers.
Given the current situation, one somewhat likely outcome is that LaVine remains a King until at least the 2027 trade deadline. At that point, some teams may be willing to bite. Keeping that in mind, it's still most likely that LaVine ends up with the Kings through the end of his current contract.
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