Zach LaVine may already have one foot towards the airport.
The Sacramento Kings guard LaVine might potentially be bought out by the team before the season begins, James Ham of ESPN 1320 Sacramento reported this week. Ham adds that the Kings have not given LaVine any guarantees that he will even have a role for them next season.
LaVine, the 31-year-old former lottery pick, has been with Sacramento for the last one-and-a-half seasons. But he took a downward turn last year, averaging an unspectacular 19.2 points and 2.3 assists per game over just 39 total appearances before undergoing season-ending surgery on his right hand.
Earlier this summer, LaVine picked up his $48 million player option with the Kings for next season. While that was a no-brainer of a business move by LaVine, it appears that Sacramento wants to move on from the three-time All-Star after going a rancid 22-60 last season.
The Kings just selected 19-year-old point guard Darius Acuff with the No. 7 overall pick in this year’s draft. With 24-year-old sophomore guard Nique Clifford also in need of minutes in the Sacramento backcourt, it appears that LaVine is very much the odd man out right now.
LaVine would obviously have to give up a good chunk of money to facilitate a buyout from the Kings. But LaVine has 12 total seasons of NBA experience, which means that he can get the highest possible salary when it comes to veteran’s minimum deals with contenders (worth around $3.9 million). LaVine could also hypothetically get more than a minimum contract on the open market but only from a team operating below the first and second aprons of the luxury tax, which are rarely playoff contenders.
Some fitting teams have been linked to the ex-UCLA standout LaVine in recent seasons. Now it looks like LaVine, a one-time 27-ppg scorer, could be the earliest and most intriguing addition to the NBA buyout market this year.
