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The Kings’ minimal interest, for quite some time now, has been directly tied to the idea that Morant's price point might drop so low, they’d be crazy not to do it. Especially if it meant getting off of a contract — like, say, Zach LaVine’s — that has long since been deemed undesirable. (The Grizzlies' willingness, or potential lack thereof, to take LaVine back is unclear.)
Sticking with the Kings, a league source indicates that veteran guard Zach LaVine fully intends on picking up his player option for next season ($48.9 million).
Eddie House: I'm with Brad Miller, what he said. It's not about rebuilding, but you retool. Right before the All-Star break, you find a couple guys that you could piece together and bring in maybe some young players to play with a few older players and then you start creating that culture and changing that culture because if it's just older players, they're already stuck in their ways. We know that and it's a lot of times that's not going to change. You get guys that are 10-year vets. They going to play like how they play. But you get somebody that's starving, like we were saying that's starving, looking to make their bones in the league. I think that's what they got to do and they're going to probably have to part ways with somebody that's on that team whether it be Zach LaVine or whether it be DeMar DeRozan. And it might be a mutual thing for everybody. They get a breath of fresh air.
In addition to Morant, Milwaukee was linked with trade interest in several notable names on the trade market, including Morant, Michael Porter Jr., Zach LaVine, Andrew Wiggins, Jerami Grant, Miles Bridges, Malik Monk, Keon Ellis, and other players. However, with Antetokounmpo out for a significant amount of time, there’s less urgency for the Bucks to act immediately.
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League sources say that the Bucks, frankly, were already struggling to generate difference-making trade discussions by making the likes of Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis Jr. available. Brooklyn's Porter, Sacramento's Zach LaVine, Cleveland's De'Andre Hunter, Portland's Jerami Grant and Charlotte's Miles Bridges have all been mentioned as potential targets, but the Bucks' lack of available draft capital to sweeten trade offers has clearly complicated the search for reinforcements.
Meanwhile, the Kings have inquired about the price tag for Morant, but internal questions about whether the franchise is ready to give up assets and add him while focusing on developing their young talent (Keegan Murray, Nique Clifford, and Maxime Raynaud) and gauging the market on potentially moving their veteran trio of Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan.
League sources have told the Journal Sentinel that Milwaukee continues to have interest in shooting guard Zach LaVine, who is currently shooting 37.6% from behind the 3-point line in Sacramento while averaging 20 points per game. LaVine last made an all-star game in 2021-22, but he is a career 20.7 points per game scorer. LaVine, who will turn 31 in March, is making $47.5 million this season and is likely to pick up his $48.9 million player option for next season.
Kings star Zach LaVine said competing for three quarters isn’t good enough. “You don’t get points for keeping things close in this league,” LaVine said. “You’re supposed to keep it competitive and when you get down the stretch, you figure out how to win. We haven’t done anything but the opposite of that. We keep it close and we end up feeling the same way in the fourth quarter and coming back into the locker room. ... It was a tale of two halves again. It’s not a good feeling at all.”
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If ever there was a sign of Young’s diminished value, it’s in the fact that even teams that are desperate need of an offensive boost — like the Sacramento Kings — don’t appear to have interest. Sacramento has long been rumored as a possible suitor for Young, with the prospect of the Hawks landing former All-Star Zach LaVine in the process known to be of interest to the 30-year-old Kings guard. But a team source indicated on Monday that Sacramento has no interest in Young.
