![\"Zach](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/miami-heat-v-sacramento-kings-sacramento-california-january-20-zach-lavine-e1785625284806.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
The Kings reportedly plan to keep Zach LaVine rather than pursue a buyout, limiting one potential avenue for the Heat to acquire the veteran scorer.<\/p>\n
The Miami Heat<\/a>\u2018s patient approach to the offseason has centered on one strategy.<\/p>\n Wait.<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s Klay Thompson<\/a>, DeMar DeRozan<\/a>, Bradley Beal<\/a>, or Zach LaVine<\/a>, Miami has preferred preserving flexibility over forcing a trade for another veteran scorer.<\/p>\n One of those possibilities, however, appears to be fading.<\/p>\n Speaking on Clutch Scoops<\/a>, ClutchPoints\u2019 Brett Siegel said the Sacramento Kings<\/a> have no intention of buying out LaVine despite growing speculation<\/a> that the two-time All-Star could eventually hit the open market.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not going to be looking to buy him out,\u201d Siegel said. \u201cThat\u2019s not going to be happening this offseason.\u201d<\/p>\n For a Heat team that had been monitoring LaVine\u2019s situation, that\u2019s a meaningful development.<\/p>\n Kings See Zach LaVine as Valuable Asset GettyZach LaVine of the Sacramento Kings drives against Jahmir Young<\/a> of the Miami Heat during the first quarter of the game at Kaseya Center on December 06, 2025 in Miami, Florida.<\/p>\n According to Siegel, Sacramento still believes LaVine has value both on the court and as a potential trade chip.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Kings plan on keeping Zach LaVine as one of their stars on this young kind of rebuild roster that they have, and they do see value in keeping Zach LaVine,\u201d Siegel said.<\/p>\n The Kings are evaluating a roster built around emerging young talent, including Keegan Murray<\/a>, rookie Darius Acuff<\/a> Jr. and 2025 first-round pick Nique Clifford<\/a>.<\/p>\n If that group proves more competitive than expected, Siegel believes Sacramento could even consider keeping LaVine beyond this season.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe they look to keep him past this season, depending on how the first half of this year goes for the Kings,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The bigger reason, though, is timing.<\/p>\n LaVine\u2019s expiring contract could become significantly more valuable closer to the NBA<\/a> trade deadline.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s going to enter the trade deadline as probably one of the main trade targets for teams that become desperate,\u201d Siegel said.<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s injuries or championship contenders searching for another scorer, Siegel expects interest to increase in January and February.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re going to look at Zach LaVine on an expiring $48 million contract as a means to get immediate production and immediate scoring, both on and off the ball offensively.\u201d<\/p>\n From Sacramento\u2019s perspective, buying him out now simply doesn\u2019t make business sense.<\/p>\n \u201cSo the Kings know that they have no reason to buy him out,\u201d Siegel said. \u201cThere\u2019s no reason to give him to any team on a small deal when you know that there\u2019s going to be teams interested in him come time for January and February.\u201d<\/p>\n Heat\u2019s Options Continue to Narrow<\/p>\n The update represents a setback for Miami\u2019s patient offseason strategy.<\/p>\n Miami Herald Heat insider Anthony Chiang<\/a> previously identified LaVine as a player worth monitoring if he unexpectedly became available.<\/p>\n \u201cAnother player under contract but who could potentially become available later this offseason is Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine,\u201d Chiang wrote.<\/p>\n Chiang also acknowledged the challenges.<\/p>\n With LaVine opting into the final year of his contract worth approximately $49 million, any buyout would be financially complicated. He noted Sacramento could theoretically waive and stretch LaVine before Aug. 29 or attempt to trade his expiring contract instead, though matching nearly $49 million in salary presents significant obstacles under the NBA\u2019s collective bargaining agreement.<\/p>\n Siegel\u2019s latest reporting points strongly toward the second option.<\/p>\n That leaves Miami looking elsewhere.<\/p>\n The Heat continue to prioritize Thompson, whom Chiang has identified as the organization\u2019s top remaining target. Miami has also held discussions with Bradley Beal and six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan while waiting to see whether either veteran eventually reaches free agency or becomes available at a favorable price.<\/p>\n LaVine appeared to fit that same category only days ago.<\/p>\n The 31-year-old averaged 19.2 points on 39% 3-point shooting, 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists last season, remaining one of the league\u2019s most efficient perimeter scorers despite Sacramento\u2019s transition toward a younger core.<\/p>\n For now, though, the Kings aren\u2019t planning to let him walk.<\/p>\n Instead, they\u2019re betting his greatest value may come several months from now, when contenders begin searching for one final piece before the trade deadline.<\/p>\n That also means one less potential path for the Heat as they continue searching for another proven scorer to complement Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a>, Bam Adebayo<\/a> and Andrew Wiggins<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAlder Almo<\/a> is a veteran NBA reporter for Heavy.com, covering the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. He brings over 20 years of experience across local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Originally from the Philippines, he is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty The Kings reportedly plan to keep Zach LaVine rather than pursue a buyout, limiting one potential avenue…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":839363,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-839362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=839362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839362\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/839363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=839362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=839362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=839362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Sacramento](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/sacramento-kings-v-miami-heat-miami-florida-december-06-zach-lavine-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n