The Boston Celtics roster is all but set as the weeks slowly pass leading up to training camp. Boston had themselves a busy summer, signing Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley, then trading Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, a complicated 2028 pick swap, Philly’s 2031 first-round pick, and two second-rounders.
It’d be shocking if another move were to follow.
Any supplementary transaction would likely have to involve next to no money (or include George’s $54.4 million salary) -- which is why I, personally, am so thankful that the Sacramento Kings reportedly won’t be waiving Zach LaVine.
Locked on Kings podcast host James Ham shared on Sunday that LaVine and the Kings are aligned heading into the late summer months. The two sides both intend on the veteran playing out the final season of his contract in Sacramento with hopes of a “big year” on the horizon.
“I had a conversation with a league source, within the walls [of the Kings organization] to further clarify where Zach LaVine and the Kings are right now,” Ham explained. “So, according to that source, the Kings have no thought of buying out Zach LaVine at this time. They also plan on him coming back and being ready to have a big year in what is a contract season for him. And according to that source, LaVine is aligned with this thinking. So again, at this point, the Kings and LaVine are tied to each other for the 2026-27 season."
The Celtics should've steered clear of Zach LaVine even if he hit the market
Had Sacramento decided to buy the former All-Star out of his contract, then he theoretically could’ve signed with the Celtics as a free agent. Whether or not LaVine would sign for close to the league minimum is another question. I’d guess probably not, but who knows, maybe one of the NBA’s greatest “good stats, bad team” guys of all time would want an opportunity to try and win something for once.
LaVine’s played 12 seasons in the league. Pretty much every year, whatever team he’s on struggles and limps into the lottery in April. When his 2021-22 Chicago Bulls squad earned the East’s sixth seed, they were swiftly bounced by the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks in five games.
No matter what his numbers say, there’s something about the 31-year-old’s game that doesn’t translate to winning. It could be as simple as his production not matching his max contract’s cost. Building a winner is tough when a large chunk of the salary cap is being used on an overpay of a contract (see Jaylen Brown trade).
For what it’s worth LaVine’s defense is a serious question mark -- especially for a player who is so athletically gifted. The Kings guard ranked dead last in defensive DARKO plus minus, a “predictive defensive impact metric from DARKO (Kostya Medvedovsky, darko.app) estimating how much a player suppresses expected opponent scoring per 100 possessions” last season, per Databallr.
At what feels like a fragile time for the Celtics, adding a perpetual loser to the roster would be a dangerous move. Thankfully, the Kings have Boston’s back and won’t even let them consider poaching LaVine from the buyout market.
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