The rumors made sense on the surface. DeMar DeRozan just got bought out in Sacramento. Zach LaVine is sitting on a $48.9 million player option for next season. So maybe the Kings would just cut bait with the veteran guard too, right?
Not happening. At least not right now.
According to ClutchPoints insider Brett Siegel, there are no active discussions between LaVine and the Kings about a buyout. None. Zero. LaVine hasn’t asked for one and Sacramento hasn’t brought it up. That’s not just a technicality. Both sides seem to see this differently than the DeRozan situation, and maybe they should.
“Zach LaVine has not approached the Kings to ask for a buyout, and they’re not actively going to engage in those conversations,” Siegel said on a recent episode of Clutch Scoops. “The main reason why is he’s in the final year of a $40+ million contract.”
That number is the key. Expiring contracts are weirdly valuable in the NBA. A team that’s underperforming by January might want to dump a longer deal. A contender hit by an injury might gamble on a rental. LaVine, even at his current price tag, gives Sacramento options that a buyout would just erase. You don’t get cap relief from buying out $49 million. You just pay it and get nothing back.
Trade value changes everything
Siegel also pointed out that the Kings saw this play out last season with other teams moving expiring deals at the deadline for flexibility or roster shakeups. Injuries happen. Teams get frustrated. Suddenly a guy like LaVine — who can still drop 15 points a night, shoot from deep, run in transition — looks like a useful piece for a team that needs a spark.
“There will be one or two teams out there that point to Zach LaVine and say, ‘hey, we can take a chance on this guy because he’s on an expiring deal,’” Siegel said. “I expect there to be interest from teams at some point this season.”
The buyout speculation picked up steam right after Sacramento agreed to part ways with DeRozan earlier this week. But the Kings view LaVine’s contract as an asset, not a problem. Unless something changes dramatically before training camp, he’ll be on the roster when the season tips off and likely stay there until the trade deadline at minimum.
That doesn’t mean he’s part of the long-term plan. It just means the Kings think they can get something back for him, whether that’s cap flexibility, a younger player, or a pick. A buyout would mean getting none of that. So for now, LaVine is a King. And the phone might ring in January.
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