Kings Reportedly Not Interested in Contract Extension for 2x All-Star

Has LaVine Really Underperformed by THAT Much?

Hearing this shouldn't be surprising for fans. LaVine is set to make $47.5 million this season and nearly $49 million in 26/27 with his player option, making him one of the highest-paid players in the league. Players who take up around 30% of the cap around the league are expected to be able to contribute to winning, and it’s hard to argue that LaVine is a winning player. 

LaVine currently sits at 87th in win shares per 48 minutes among active players, far behind running mates DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis. Just in front of LaVine are Josh Richardson, Cory Joseph, and James Johnson, who are career role players. 

This isn’t to say that Richardson, Joseph, and Johnson have ever been bad NBA players, but they certainly aren’t seeing the usage or paydays that LaVine is. WS/48 isn’t a perfect metric, and there are some examples of good players sitting low on the rankings; however, it is a good test for a star player like LaVine in my opinion. 

Amick wasn’t the only one to put his foot down on a LaVine extension, either. Below is Zach Lowe’s take.

“I was a hard no… I just see no universe in which they would do it,” Lowe responded.

Is There Even a Galaxy Where LaVine Gets an Extension?

At the number that LaVine is making right now, adding more years to a deal and keeping him in Sacramento would be malpractice. LaVine just isn’t a good fit on this roster, but he could be really valuable on a lesser deal. 

This brings me to an idea that Sacramento Kings On SI’s James McCauley had earlier this year, extending LaVine at a lower number. James suggests locking LaVine in at a deal just under 24% of the cap and uses CJ McCollum’s deal as an example. 

In this case, LaVine would have the security of another long-term contract in his 30s and have a better chance at being moved to a contender should the Kings go into a rebuilding phase and look to give their younger players heavier minutes. The issue is that there’s still no promise that there will be a trade out there that doesn’t require the Kings to take some sort of a loss. 

Catch-22

By acquiring LaVine, the Kings took on one of the hardest-to-move contracts in the entire league. The deal made no sense at the time, but as Lowe would go on to say, “You can just never underestimate the Kings.”  

Now, Perry and Armstrong will need to either get LaVine on to a longer deal or hope that an expiring $49 million salary fits on a contender that needs a big scoring boost. There also remains the issue of extensions for Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis, which became much more complicated when LaVine was brought in. 

If LaVine is still on the roster next summer, the Kings will likely be forced to find a trade partner for Malik Monk, DeMar DeRozan, and/or Dennis Schröder to make the necessary room to retain two of their best young players. 

Which Path Should the Kings Take?

DeRozan shouldn’t be a big challenge to move as he only has $10 million guaranteed on his deal for next season and has still been a productive player. Even if teams don’t come calling for DeRozan, the Kings could waive and stretch him and split his $10 million guaranteed into $5 million over two years. Malik Monk and Dennis Schröder may also be easier to move next offseason. 

This makes it somewhat less painful to take the hit on LaVine and let him play out his final year instead of possibly handcuffing yourself to him for another three to four years, and it is the path I would expect the Kings to take with the former All-Star.