yardbarker
The Sacramento Kings have not provided Zach LaVine with any assurances about his playing time or position for the 2026/27 campaign, following the two-time All-Star guard's decision to exercise his $49 million player option. James Ham, a reporter covering the team for ESPN 1320, TheKingsBeat.com, and Locked On Kings, revealed on a recent podcast that the franchise has communicated clearly for months that LaVine does not factor into their long-term plans and that they have no interest in offering him an extension.
Before LaVine picked up his lucrative option, Sacramento was open to exploring a sign-and-trade scenario, but that avenue has now closed. Ham suggested that he personally would have pursued a buyout with LaVine, particularly early in free agency when LaVine might have accepted a smaller salary reduction if another team had offered him a non-taxpayer mid-level exception contract. However, Ham indicated that general manager Scott Perry has not yet initiated such discussions.
"That is not something that the Kings, at least to my knowledge at this point, have done," Ham stated. "They have not got close to closing the deal on a potential buyout." He also clarified that Sacramento has no intention of using the stretch provision on LaVine if a buyout were to occur.
Currently, the Kings project to be slightly above the luxury tax line, according to Yossi Gozlan of CapSheets.com. The team could dip below that threshold by stretching DeMar DeRozan's $10 million cap hit over three years, which would result in a $3.33 million annual charge through 2028/29. But Ham stressed that stretching LaVine is off the table: "I do know for a fact the Sacramento Kings will not buy out and stretch provision Zach LaVine. I was told very specifically by someone I trust with the Sacramento Kings that they have absolutely no interest in (waiving and) stretching him. It would save you a ton (in the short term), but you would just be kicking the can down the road. The Kings aren't doing it."
Key Analysis
Regarding LaVine's on-court role, Ham noted that the two-time dunk contest champion could start and see significant minutes if he contributes to winning basketball. However, Ham expressed serious defensive worries about a potential backcourt pairing of LaVine and rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr., the No. 7 overall pick, questioning whether that duo could avoid a bottom-three finish defensively. Despite these concerns, Ham considers LaVine the Kings' second-best player and believes he could alleviate offensive pressure on Acuff if he remains healthy. LaVine appeared in only 39 games last season due to injuries, leaving his durability as a lingering question for the upcoming year.
Originally reported by yardbarker.