ZACH LaVine

LaVine's 2025-26 averages with the Kings: 19.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.3 blocks in 31.4 minutes across 39 games. He shot 47.9 percent from the field, 39.0 percent from three and 88.0 percent from the free-throw line, numbers that produced a 61.4 true shooting percentage. His usage rate sat at 23.4 percent, showing he was a focal point of Sacramento's offense when he was on the floor. The plus-minus told a different story: LaVine finished at minus-7.9 last season, a sign the Kings struggled when he played even as he kept scoring. Those efficiency marks, especially the three-point and free-throw numbers, are the baseline fans should watch as he opens 2026-27.

LaVine has logged four outings in the lead-up to the 2026-27 season. On Oct. 16 against San Antonio he scored 20 points with 3 rebounds and 3 assists in 30 minutes, though Sacramento lost and he finished at minus-21.0. On Oct. 10 against Golden State he had 11 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists in 23.3 minutes in a losing effort, with an even plus-minus. Two days earlier against the Lakers he put up 11 points, 1 rebound and 4 assists in 23 minutes, and on Oct. 5, also against the Lakers, he scored 9 points with 1 rebound in 15.4 minutes. All four games were losses for Sacramento, and LaVine has stayed on the floor through each one.

LaVine is not on the injury report right now. He was cleared on Oct. 16 after being listed day-to-day, a designation that had gone up two days earlier, on Oct. 14, as a day-to-day rest issue. Before that, he was cleared on Sept. 28 after an earlier day-to-day stretch, and the hand, arm issue on the right side that first put him on the injury report dates back to Sept. 6, also listed day-to-day. None of those issues have kept him out of Sacramento's four most recent games, in which he has played between 15.4 and 30 minutes. The pattern so far in October is short absences from practice or rest, not missed games.

LaVine's name surfaced in trade speculation on Sept. 20, when a Western Notes report grouped him with Maluach and Fodor in the same item involving the Grizzlies. That is the extent of what has been reported: a headline note, not a breakdown of players or picks involved. Nothing beyond it has surfaced publicly, and LaVine has remained with Sacramento through this stretch of games, suiting up in all four of the Kings' most recent outings. Fans should treat the Western Notes item as speculation, not a signal that a trade is close. Until something more concrete comes out, LaVine is a Kings player working through the final tune-up games before the 2026-27 opener.