New Report Details Rumored Kings Package to Acquire Bulls’ Zach LaVine
Now, under a month until the NBA’s trade window closes, rumors continue to bounce around the league about every team’s approach heading into the big day. One of the most prominent names mentioned to make a move throughout the season so far has been none other than the Sacramento Kings.
After their narrow first-round exit to the Golden State Warriors a year ago, the talk surrounding the Kings has focused on their ability to add another star player to the mix. While the trio of De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and Keegan Murray is fantastic, Sacramento has the means to add even more.
Among the candidates to add to the Kings roster, Zach LaVine has consistently stuck out as a prime possibility. It’s no secret the Chicago Bulls have been open to a move involving the 2x All-Star, and he could effectively add a strong offensive burst to the backcourt with Fox in Sacramento.
Now, we’ve begun to get a few more developments surrounding a potential deal.
According to a report from Michael Scotto from HoopsHype, the Kings held discussions with Chicago earlier in the season for LaVine with Kevin Huerter and Harrison Barnes being at the center of Sacramento’s package:
"There had also been some Zach LaVine chatter a little bit earlier in the season. I had heard the two names that came up there from Sacramento during trade conversations were Kevin Huerter and Harrison Barnes. From Chicago’s side, There is a level of interest in Huerter for sure. To my understanding, they’ve done background intel on him trying to figure out what’s going on there and why he has struggled a little bit this year. He’s a player that they’ve liked. That’s a team (Chicago) that doesn’t want to rebuild. Before this regime, Vivek Ranadivé was there when they tried to give LaVine an offer sheet many years ago."
During his 2023-24 campaign, LaVine has averaged 20.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 44.6/34.0/85.3 splits. Adding his explosiveness to an already lethal Kings offensive unit would create an even more difficult defensive assignment for opposing teams.
If the Bulls weren’t interested in a total teardown of the roster, a swap to bring in Huerter and Barnes could provide two win-now players to help lift this team a bit in the standings. Chicago is currently 9th in the Eastern Conference, sitting four games back from the eighth seed.
The challenge comes for the Kings when handling the hefty contract of LaVine, who is inked to a $178 million deal to extend until the summer of 2027. If Sacramento makes the splash to add him to the roster in addition to the deals of Fox and Sabonis, it effectively creates a tricky cap space bind for the foreseeable future.
As we get closer to the deadline, expect to hear more traction involving a deal with LaVine, whether it be with the Kings or without.
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