Why Zach LaVine Could Have Trade Value Next Season

The 2026-27 Sacramento Kings are expected to be the start of a youth journey, rather than a team seriously contending for postseason positioning. Veterans Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis will likely be mentioned frequently in trade rumors as general manager Scott Perry looks to reset the timeline in California’s capital.

Incoming rookie lottery pick Darius Acuff Jr. will be the star of the show, while his fellow classmate Alex Karaban and Emaneul Sharp fight for their spot in the rotation. Keegan Murray should be a focal point, along with returning second-years Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud, and Dylan Cardwell.

Attempting to restructure the team and reset the timeline could be accelerated by finding promising returns on investments in the likes of LaVine, Sabonis, or Malik Monk. LaVine owns the highest salary on the team next season, but his $48.9 million deal makes finding a partner complicated.

Andy Bailey, NBA writer for Bleacher Report, joined The Drive Guys to explain why he believes the former All-Star could have more value than expected this season.

“I do list Zach LaVine’s contract as one of the valuable, or at least interesting, assets in the league for this coming season,” Bailey said.

“Nobody’s going to view it that way right now, but he’s on an expiring contract,” Bailey continued. “And if he shoots the ball really well in the first couple of months, some team with a bad contract that just wants to get that off their books, they may send Sacramento a pick to get Zach LaVine and have a little more financial flexibility next summer.”

Heading into this season at 31 years old with a poor reputation, this could be LaVine’s last chance at a significant payday. He’s also coming off the lowest scoring season of his career since 2017-18, his first year with the Bulls. That largely had to do with him taking the fewest shots per game (14.0) of his career, only trailing his first two seasons in the league.

Pair that with the Kings’ apparent hope to try to rekindle value on the previous front office’s disastrous De’Aaron Fox trade, and both sides would mutually benefit from LaVine getting more opportunity to have a bounce-back season. He’s scoring upwards of 22 points per game while shooting 50% from the field and 40% from three multiple times in his career.

Sabonis’s situation is more complicated, given that he has two years remaining on his contract. “I actually think the Kings are in a pretty good position for a rebuilding team,” Bailey said. “They don’t have to feel like they’re against a deadline or under the gun with either LaVine or Sabonis.”

“I think there’s a chance either or both could kind of juice their trade value, and there’s also a chance they don’t.”

Worst-case scenario, they could just walk away and be money off the books for Sacramento, as they’ve expressed no willingness to attach draft capital to move off either contract. LaVine has more to contribute than what last season showed, but will the squad’s playstyle work in his favor?

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What is the next Sacramento Kings Offseason Event?

The start of the 2026-27 season is quickly approaching for Zach LaVine and the Sacramento Kings.

Sacramento will begin training camp in late September as they prepare to begin preseason play on Monday, October 5th when they face Luka Doncic and the new-look Los Angeles Lakers at Golden 1 Center.

Be sure to stay tuned into Sactown Sports all offseason for roster updates, schedule announcements, analysis, and much more.

Upcoming Sacramento Kings Offseason Schedule

• August TBD – 2026-27 NBA Schedule release
• Late September – NBA training camps begin

Sacramento Kings 2026-27 Preseason Schedule

• Monday, October 5th vs. Los Angeles Lakers (7 P.M. PST)
• Thursday, October 8th @ Los Angeles Lakers (7:30 P.M. PST)
• Saturday, October 10th @ Golden State Warriors (5:30 P.M. PST)
• Tuesday, October 13th vs. Portland Trail Blazers (7:00 P.M. PST)
• Friday, October 16th @ San Antonio Spurs (7:00 P.M. PST)

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