Report: Zach LaVine would ‘welcome’ trade to Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
After reports recently surfaced about Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine being available for trade, it’s come to light that the Sacramento Kings are among the list of preferred destinations for the star guard, Yahoo’s Jake Fischer reported on Friday, citing sources.
Over five years after LaVine signed a four-year $80 million offer sheet with the Kings, the Bulls guard reportedly would welcome the opportunity to join a young core that includes multiple All-Pro’s in De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.
While it’s intriguing to envision a big three of Lavine, Fox, and Sabonis together in California’s capital, dealing for the Bulls star could prove complicated for a few reasons.
During an appearance on “Kings Post Game Live,” NBC Sports California contributor Marc Stein detailed why any teams interested in trading for LaVine will face a handful of obstacles if they attempt to get a deal done anytime soon.
“Here’s the thing, it’s realistically too soon for true suitors to emerge for Zach LaVine,” Stein said on Kings Post Game Live. “And the reason is his contract is massive. He’s only in year two of a contract that’s worth 215 million, that is not easy to move. Now, because the Kings once signed Zach LaVine to an offer sheet, I think there will always be a connection drawn between the Kings and Lavine from that perspective. And obviously, I think from his side there will always be some interest there because again, he did sign the contract with Sacramento with a previous front-office, not this one, that Chicago ended up matching the first time LaVine got a big deal in free agency.
“But you have to remember, in mid-November, we saw James Harden traded, but that was the culmination of a months-long situation that started with a trade request right before free agency. The reality is, in mid-November, you don’t typically see a lot of trade action. And that’s because a third of the league can’t even be traded until after December 15, when the majority of last summers’ free-agent guys when they become trade-eligible.
Stein once again reiterated that as riveting as the conversations are about a potential move for LaVine, it’s too soon to expect a deal to manifest this early into the NBA season.
“We all love the transaction game and trade talk,” Stein said. “It’s probably a touch too soon to start highlighting Team A, B, or C in terms of Zach LaVine. But that said, it is a hot topic. It’s been the buzz of the week, and I suspect that talk is only going to get louder unless Chicago turns things around and starts winning games.”
Lavine is a two-time All-Star who has posted per-game career averages of 20.5 points, 4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists with a 46.3 percent field goal percentage across parts of 10 NBA seasons.
The cost for LaVine will likely prove to be steep, and the hurdles with the NBA calendar will be challenging to clear. Still, the fact that the Kings reportedly are an ideal destination for a star player on the move speaks volumes to the culture the franchise cultivated during their recent resurgence.
