Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis Rumors amid New Buzz on Potential Trade Destinations
The Milwaukee Bucks might be weighing the possibility of trading for Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline.
The Athletic's Sam Amick reported Friday that the Bucks have "done recent due diligence" on LaVine after showing "interest in the past."
Even if the Kings head into the deadline as sellers after a 6-19 start to the season, however, Amick believes the franchise might have difficulty moving the two and a half seasons remaining on Domantas Sabonis' contract.
"Teams like Washington, the Phoenix Suns and Chicago have shown significant interest in the past and are still believed to be on his short list of possible suitors, but Sabonis is prepared to remain in a Kings jersey for the foreseeable future," Amick wrote.
Both LaVine and Sabonis are currently sidelined by injury. LaVine missed Thursday's game with a thumb injury, while Sabonis has been out since suffering a left knee meniscus tear on Nov. 16.
HoopsHype's Michael Scotto first reported back in November the Bucks had "conducted background due diligence on LaVine."
LaVine has a $47.5 million cap hit this season, with a player option worth just under $49 million for 2026-27.
NBA insider Marc Stein said on a Nov. 28 episode of The All NBA Podcast that it might take LaVine turning down that option and negotiating an extension at a lower average annual salary in order to move his deal.
"The rumble there is, if he was willing to decline the option and take a longer-term extension at a lesser number, I think there would be some trade interest in Zach LaVine," Stein said at the time.
Amick recently said Kings general manager Scott Perry was pushing for a three- to five-year rebuild, although Perry said he had no rebuild timeline when disputing the report.
In order to build what Perry has described as a "long-term sustainable winner," however, he might be looking to stock up on draft capital ahead of the February deadline.
The Bucks have limited draft stock, however. RealGM reports the franchise has just one second-round pick available over the next seven seasons.
Milwaukee would also likely need to send out multiple players in the trade. Even trading both Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis, for example, wouldn't be enough to match LaVine's salary.
Sabonis would be even more difficult for a new team to fit under their cap. He has two years remaining at more than $45 million per season before he is set to hit free agency in 2027.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported Tuesday that Perry is "using this season as a patient evaluation campaign" and is "open-minded about trade talks throughout the roster."
In addition to LaVine and Sabonis, opponents are also "monitoring" the trade status of DeMar DeRozan and Keon Ellis, according to Charania.
