Kings Avoiding Contract Extension for All-Star, Listening to Trade Pitches: Report originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
After canning 2023 Coach of the Year Mike Brown midway through their 2024-25 season and finishing with a middling 40-42 record under Brown’s replacement, Doug Christie, the Sacramento Kings whiffed on advancing to the playoffs and stumbled into another uncertain offseason.
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All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox, a Brown supporter, forced a trade to the San Antonio Spurs ahead of the deadline, and the Kings’ return package unfortunately did not return a starting-caliber point guard.
Sacramento’s current “core” — former two-time All-Star shooting guard Zach LaVine, former six-time All-Star small forward DeMar DeRozan, former three-time All-Star center Domantas Sabonis, and Sixth Man of the Year contender Malik Monk — represents a befuddling all-offense, no-defense group, and frankly isn’t good enough to contend in the crowded Western Conference.
The Kings traded their rights to the Spurs’ top-16 protected 2027 first rounder to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the No. 24 pick in the first round of the 2025 NBA draft. With the pick, Sacramento selected two-time All-Mountain West Conference Colorado State guard Nique Clifford.
Feb 24, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) and forward DeMar DeRozan (10) and forward Keegan Murray (13) walk up the court during the first quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Golden 1 Center.© Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
The Kings’ future-focused move Wednesday night may have presaged some smart maneuvering this summer.
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In a new piece, Sam Amick of The Athletic reports that the Kings are not looking to extend LaVine during the offseason, and in fact are open to trading their new wing just months after flipping De’Aaron Fox to acquire him.
“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,” Amick writes. “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.”
LaVine is owed $96.5 million across the next two seasons. While the UCLA product remains a great scorer, he has a troubling injury history, needs the ball in his hands to be effective although his best fit may be as a supplementary shooter, and is a surprisingly poor defender despite his obvious athletic gifts.
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“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,” Amick adds. “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.”
Kuminga, 22, will be a restricted free agent this summer.
Related: ‘Good Chance’ Kings Look to Trade All-Star Over Offseason
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.