The Sacramento Kings lost in the Play-in Tournament, so their 2024-25 season is over. Immediately after the loss, they moved on from general manager Monte McNair. The team has been stuck in mediocrity for far too long now, and it is time for the franchise to change that. Drastic changes might have to come this offseason, as the NBA trade deadline deal for Zach LaVine didn't elevate the team.

In fact, trading LaVine, only months after originally acquiring him, might be the move that the Kings need to make. When the Kings traded De'Aaron Fox, they didn't receive a haul of draft picks because they added a fringe All-Star guard replacement, but it has now been proven on two different teams that LaVine and DeMar DeRozan don't have a championship-caliber ceiling. Perhaps the Kings can recoup some draft picks this upcoming offseason. A new front office regime might be ready to make the moves necessary. If Sacramento does trade LaVine, then a deal with the Miami Heat could make sense.

Zach LaVine

Andrew Wiggins, Duncan Robinson, 2025 first-round pick (via Warriors)

Zach LaVine did have somewhat of a resurgence of a season this year, as he averaged 23.3 points per game and shot a career high 51.1% from the field. Prior to the season, he was borderline untradeable because of a bad contract and injury issues, but he played well enough to revitalize his trade value. That led to him being shipped to the Kings.

However, the Kings don't have a championship core, and they might be better off blowing things up and embracing a full rebuild. Because LaVine is under contract for three more years at $44 million-plus each season, he won't demand a huge trade haul. That contract will scare some teams off, but the Heat should consider trading for him because he can be acquired for relatively cheap.

Miami is in the market for a third star because they were forced to trade Jimmy Butler. LaVine would provide the missing scoring punch that the team needs. The UCLA product is both one of the best 3-point shooters and one of the best dunkers in the NBA. This proposed trade allows the Heat to get off of a bad contract in their own right, as Duncan Robinson is making much more money than he should be. His 3-point shooting would be missed, but LaVine is arguably more lethal from deep, and he provides way more elsewhere than Robinson does.

Andrew Wiggins is also dealt in this deal. Wiggins is a solid player, but his All-Star season was clearly a fluke, and LaVine is a massive upgrade over him. In this era, most superstars are traded for multiple draft picks, but the Heat only have to let go of one draft pick in this deal because there will likely be few takers for LaVine. LaVine hasn't proven that he can contribute to winning basketball, but he could break out in the “Heat Culture.”

LaVine has the same flaws as his star teammates – DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis – in Sacramento. None of the three play all that much defense, so it doesn't really matter that the Kings had a top 10 offense this season. DeRozan can still get buckets in the mid-range, and Sabonis is a double-double machine.

Nobody in Sacramento can get stops when need be, though. Wiggins and Robinson wouldn't necessarily help this problem, although Wiggins is a solid defender, but those two are more so used in this deal to make the money work. The Kings should consider trading all of LaVine, DeRozan and Sabonis, and they should accumulate as many draft picks as possible in the process.

The Kings only get one first-rounder in this deal, but it allows the team to move forward and start a new era without LaVine's mega contract on the books. Plus, the first-round pick that they add is in the 2025 NBA Draft, meaning the team could select a building block piece in this draft despite the fact that they owe the Atlanta Hawks a pick this year.

Trading Fox wasn't enough, and neither will trading LaVine. The Kings need to look for trades involving DeRozan and Sabonis as well.