Now that DeMar DeRozan has been waived and moved on from the Sacramento Kings, fans are left wondering if Zach LaVine is next. The reality is that would be incredibly expensive for the Kings, and the situation would have to be dire. And Sacramento is nowhere near that place with LaVine. Yet.
There was no question that DeRozan had to go. He wanted to be a King about as much as the Kings wanted him to be a King. It wasn't Deebo's fault, but Sacramento just wasn't the right place for him. The front office at the time traded for him with no real strategy on how to put him to work.
LaVine, who was brought to Sacramento by the same front office, found himself in a similar position. The Kings traded for him, but didn't know how to use him. That situation only got worse when Scott Perry and Doug Christie took over as they had no interest in using either player.
As such, the Kings waived DeRozan while LaVine took his nearly $49 million player option for one more season. Deebo was only guaranteed $10 million, a much easier number to waive and stretch. LaVine's contract is completely different animal, making such a move far more risky.
Keeping LaVine a little longer has an unexpected advantage
The Kings should probably keep LaVine around, and not just because waiving him would be so expensive. He and DeRozan played together in Chicago before Sacramento, and it went almost as badly. They're both skilled shooters, but there's no rhythm. They just step on each others' toes a lot.
When LaVine is on a team without DeRozan, his game improves noticeably. The reason for that could be as simple as not having to share the court with another shooter's shooter. Regardless of why, there is a small but significant increase in LaVine's production and efficiency.
No one is suggesting that LaVine should be part of the rebuild underway in Sacramento. The Kings definitely need to move on from him. But if he does start shooting better this season due in part to DeRozan's departure, LaVine's trade value will go up as the deadline approaches.
It doesn't hurt that the money and time left on his contract will have decreased significantly by then. Add in the potential improvements in LaVine's game, and the Kings will have a much better chance of getting a good return on his trade. Otherwise, they can just wait until he walks in free agency.
Add us as a preferred source on Google