The Sacramento Kings have been looking to slowly get themselves back into playoff contention over the past few seasons and have been building the right way. Vlade Divac has been excited about the direction that the Kings are heading, especially after the solid 2018 NBA Draft that the team had.
Now, it appears that Divac and company are ready to consider pursuing a big name in free agency. They are reportedly interested in one of the offseason’s most talented restricted free agents.
According to a report shared by Bleacher Report , the Kings are strongly considering pursuing Chicago Bulls’ restricted free agent shooting guard Zach LaVine.
LaVine would be an interesting fit for the Kings. They have Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic at the shooting guard position right now, which could cause a bit of a logjam. There is a good chance that LaVine would beat both of those players out for the starting shooting guard job, but it could cause some unrest in the locker room.
Last season with the Bulls, LaVine was only able to play in 24 regular season games after missing the majority of the season following a torn ACL two years back with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He came back for the Bulls and ended up averaging 16.7 points per game to go along with 3.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
Bulls planning wait-and-see approach to Zach Lavine’s restricted free agency after organization’s “near universal support” just isn’t there anymore, per @NickFriedell https://t.co/Rnejm5WTno pic.twitter.com/KVewtzkchA
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) June 22, 2018
In addition to those numbers, LaVine also shot 38.3 percent from the field overall and 34.1 percent from three-point range. Those shooting numbers may not look impressive, but after missing most of a season he does get a bit of a pass for some of those struggles.
Back in the 2016-17 season with Minnesota, LaVine showed off flashes of star potential. He averaged 18.9 points, while also chipping in 3.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. In that season, he shot 45.9 percent from the floor and 38.7 percent from beyond the arc.
At 23-years-old, LaVine would fit in perfectly with the timeline of the Kings’ rebuild. He would give them more scoring and athleticism, which are areas that Sacramento could use some help. Depending on the price, the Kings should strongly consider a run at LaVine this offseason.
Chicago is still going to have the chance to match any offer sheet that LaVine decides to sign this offseason. They still like the talent that LaVine has, but the support for a long-term deal with him is not as unanimous as it once was. LaVine has a good chance to end up back with the Bulls in 2018-19, but the Kings are an intriguing landing spot for him.
Expect to see quite a few teams check in with LaVine this offseason. He may not have been able to play much last season, but teams know the potential and talent that he has.
If the Kings decide that they want to make a splash this offseason, LaVine might just be the best fit that they could target.
