A new report suggests that the Sacramento Kings are the favorites to make a long-rumored trade for disgruntled Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine.
This will be an interesting next couple of months for the Kings. While the team only won two fewer games than they did in a magical 2022-23 season, their regular season results were far different this year. The rest of the Western Conference got better while Sacramento grew stagnant in 2023-24. That is why the team has been thrown into trade speculation in recent weeks.
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The latest rumors have pointed to the organization engaging in talks to trade for talented Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma and interest in Bulls guards Alex Caruso and Zach LaVine. Unfortunately for Sacramento, Caruso is off the board as the Oklahoma City Thunder got better by acquiring the gifted 3-and-D specialist.
However, LaVine may still be a potential star that ends up in California’s capital city. On Friday, Yahoo Sports NBA insider Jake Fisher reported that “If there’s any suitor for LaVine that seems most likely at this juncture, it would be the Kings.”
Fisher also claimed the organization has been shopping rotation stalwarts Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter around the league. The two players make around $34 million combined next season. The pair being added to a potential LaVine trade would go a long way to matching the $45 million coming back for his annual pay rate.
The Sacramento Kings are also reportedly looking to move the 13th pick overall in next week’s draft. That could be another asset added in a potential trade for LaVine. In the end, the Kings have a lot of leverage in negotiations since various reports over the last six months have pointed to the two-time All-Star’s value dropping substantially around the league.
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