Sacramento’s stance on Zach LaVine is becoming pretty clear: the Kings are not looking to cut bait.
LaVine’s decision to opt into his $49 million player option for the 2026-27 season left the Kings in a difficult spot, but not one they appear eager to solve with a buyout. After waiving DeMar DeRozan, there was some chatter that Sacramento might push for a full reset and move on from LaVine too. That doesn’t seem to be the plan.
NBA insider Jake Fischer said on a Bleacher Report live stream that he has not heard LaVine mentioned as a buyout candidate. Instead, Fischer said the Kings are hoping the two-time All-Star can rebuild his value during the 2026-27 season and turn himself into a trade option before February’s deadline.
"I have not heard Zach LaVine as a buyout candidate," Fischer said on a Bleacher Report live stream. "To my understanding, the Kings are hoping that LaVine, now in the final year of his deal, could play his way to being a trade candidate in February by the deadline.
They're hoping for that far more than looking at him being a buyout guy. ... There's no plans for now to part ways with LaVine."
That leaves Sacramento in a wait-and-see posture. A trade is still possible, but LaVine’s market is not exactly easy to project. The source material makes clear that finding a team willing to take him on would be difficult without the Kings attaching more valuable assets, which makes those conversations less appealing right now.
So the safer play is patience. The Kings can hold LaVine until February, when his expiring deal could look more attractive to other teams, or simply ride it out until he reaches free agency in the 2027 offseason.
There is also at least some basketball logic behind keeping him around. LaVine will no longer be sharing the floor with DeRozan, and the source points out that the two talented scorers have already shown on two different franchises that they do not fit together in a way that leads to winning basketball.
There’s a version of LaVine Sacramento is still hoping to see. In the one 42-game stretch over the past five years when he was not teammates with DeRozan, he averaged 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 51.1% from the field and 44.6% from three-point range. With DeRozan gone, the Kings are banking on that kind of production resurfacing.
The fit around him is still a concern. A backcourt pairing of LaVine and Darius Acuff Jr. would bring obvious defensive issues, but it would also give Sacramento plenty of firepower.
At minimum, the Kings could be entertaining. And if LaVine plays well enough, the front office may finally get the trade exit it wants by February.
If not, Sacramento can still wait for free agency in 2027.
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Raynaud gives the roster another young piece to evaluate, and his arrival adds to a camp that general manager Scott Perry has framed around effort and chemistry as much as results. Perry has been encouraged by Raynauds development, and with the Kings continuing to mix in new faces and returning players in Las Vegas, the next few days should offer a clearer look at how much of that California Classic success can carry over once the competition gets sharper. [Read more 🡒]