September always brings NBA 2K buzz, and this year the first Sacramento Kings name to surface in the game’s rankings is Zach LaVine. The three-time All-Star checks in at an 82 overall, a number that lands well below the standard he has set when healthy and gives him his lowest rating since the 2018-2019 season, his second year with the Chicago Bulls.
LaVine’s rating arrives as he tries to answer a bigger question in Sacramento: can he justify the money and the role that come with it? He picked up his $49 million player option this offseason after reports swirled about a possible sign-and-trade, and he now enters the year needing a strong season to back up that price tag. If the fit alongside rookie Darius Acuff doesn’t come together, he also remains a candidate to move at midseason.
That fit is one of the biggest storylines surrounding the Kings’ backcourt. Acuff is expected to be the No. 1 option there, and pairing him with LaVine creates obvious questions on the defensive end, since both are at their best putting pressure on defenses with the ball.
At the same time, LaVine’s presence should take some heat off the rookie. Defenses won’t be able to load up on Acuff the same way they did in Summer League, and LaVine’s scoring gravity can open driving lanes and force opponents to think twice before overcommitting.
The rating also comes after a season in which LaVine never really got rolling. Sacramento traded for him in February of 2025, but a finger injury wiped out most of his first full season in Sac Town. He played only 39 games, though he still produced when available, averaging 19.2 points per game while shooting 48-39-88.
Even with the uneven season, LaVine has been firm about what he thinks this group can be. At his postseason press conference, he said, "As a team, we didn’t do what we were supposed to.
Talent-wise, you can put us up against a lot of people," LaVine said. "But we just didn't do what we were supposed to."
He also pointed to the bond inside the locker room as one of the few clear positives from the year. "The camaraderie, obviously.
This team was actually a group of really good guys that really got along and never really quit," LaVine said. "Always tried, always communicated.
Everyone was pulling for each other."
LaVine added that the group worked harder than other teams he has been around during his 12-year career, noting that there weren’t "many days off" around the training facility.
With LaVine, Acuff, and Domantas Sabonis in the starting five, Sacramento has at least built a dangerous offensive core. The bigger test is whether that firepower can translate into something steadier than last season.
In Other News...
Cavs Fans Will Recognize The Scorer In This Wild 4 Team Proposal
The Lakers are still sorting out a roster crunch as they sit one player over the limit, and the front office is weighing the usual late-summer fixes, from a trade to a waiver move, to get down to 15 before the season opens. Around that backdrop, a proposed four-team framework has started making the rounds, one that would send Bronny James to the Knicks and bring Malik Monk back to Los Angeles while the Lakers continue shaping the roster around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
For Sacramento fans, the eye-catching part is less about the Lakers bookkeeping and more about how much moving pieces are being discussed in a deal of that size. The concept has been floated, but nothing is official and no decisions have been announced, leaving the Kings involvement, like the rest of the proposal, in the realm of possibility rather than something set in motion. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Still Face One Russell Westbrook Decision That Could Reshape Backcourt
Russell Westbrooks next move is still very much in play, and the Kings are one of the teams that could end up shaping it. Sacramento brought him in before the 2025-2026 season and would have reason to explore bringing him back, but the roster math has already made that conversation tricky. Westbrook is a free agent after Denver declined his player option, which has only widened the field around a veteran guard who still draws attention wherever he goes.
For the Kings, the issue is less about interest than timing and flexibility, and that is where the uncertainty lingers. Salary-cap constraints have complicated any attempt to keep Westbrook in the fold, while outside buzz has him linked to other NBA possibilities and even overseas interest. Sacramento would like to keep the door open, but for now the path to a reunion is still clouded by the kind of cap decisions that can reshape a backcourt in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]