The Sacramento Kings are looking to restructure their team this offseason, and that involves parting ways with some big names.
The Sacramento Kings went in a new direction this season, pulling the plug on their core. The first step for them was firing Mike Brown in the middle of the season.
Following that, the Kings moved on from De’Aaron Fox earlier this year, trading him to the San Antonio Spurs.
As part of the trade, the Kings landed Zach LaVine, reuniting him with free agent signing DeMar DeRozan just a few months after the latter left the Chicago Bulls.
But it appears the Kings are already having buyer’s remorse with LaVine, choosing to focus their attention on a younger star who has a higher ceiling in the NBA.
Sacramento Kings won’t re-sign Zach LaVine, want Jonathan Kuminga
Sam Amick of The Athletic did an in-depth piece about the Sacramento Kings in the aftermath of the NBA Draft. He pointed out that the Kings aren’t planning on re-signing Zach LaVine as things stand.
Amick added that the Kings want to target younger players with more upside. He mentioned Jonathan Kuminga as a player they want, even though he is unlikely to sign with them. But a player of Kuminga’s age and potential is now the blueprint for the Kings.
“Zach LaVine ($96.4 million combined, including a player option in the 2026-27 season) is chief among them. While the 30-year-old, two-time All-Star is extension-eligible this summer, team and league sources say there are no plans for the Kings to prioritize a new deal for LaVine.
“If they’re going to pay that sort of freight, it’s quite clear, it will be for a younger player who can be a long-term part of their picture.
“To that end, league sources say the Kings are among the teams that have interest in Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga and will be monitoring his market when his restricted free agency begins.
“And while it appears unlikely that Kuminga will ultimately come their way, it speaks to the vision and the range of possibilities here that they’re even focusing on players of that ilk.”
Sacramento Kings now paying for Tyrese Haliburton mistake
It’s hard to say where the Sacramento Kings would be today had they not traded Tyrese Haliburton. The Kings picked him with the 13th pick in the NBA Draft. In fact, a mistake from the Celtics allowed the Kings to land Haliburton.
But in 2022, the Kings bizarrely traded Haliburton for Domantas Sabonis. The reason they did this was because they prioritized De’Aaron Fox over Haliburton and felt he had more upside.
Since then, the Sacramento Kings have reached the playoffs once with Fox, while Tyrese Haliburton has been to two conference finals and an NBA Finals.
More to that point, the Kings don’t even have Fox anymore, as he demanded a trade during the season and left in February.
Had the Kings chosen to build around Tyrese Haliburton, they could have had a contending-level team that would have pushed the Thunder, just like the Pacers did.
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