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The Sacramento Kings are known for making questionable moves. They traded away the two best foundational pieces in their recent franchise history. They haven’t made it out of the first round of the playoffs since 2004. They are widely considered one of the most disfunctional franchises in the NBA.
One constant mistake the Kings continue to make is pining for stars that are past their prime or way too expensive. Whether it was Rajon Rondo, Rudy Gay, or even their recent pursuit of Russell Westbrook, the Kings sometimes seem more interested in the name of a player than their fit on the team.
This is especially true for the Zach LaVine trade. Instead of flipping franchise star De’Aaron Fox for pieces that could help them rebuild for a brighter future, they opted to trade for LaVine and his giant contract.
LaVine’s contract recently has landed him on a list nobody wants to be on. Ricky O’Donnell of SBNation named the NBA’s 13 most overpaid players, and LaVine made the list.
“Remaining money: 2 years, $96.4 million
LaVine was quietly awesome last season, leading the NBA in three-point percentage among qualified shooters at 44.6 percent from deep. He remains a talented rim finisher as well (67 percent within three-feet), and is one of the best in the league at combining high-volume scoring with efficiency. So why did no one want LaVine when the Bulls tried to give him away for free? LaVine is a poor defender, he’s never been a high-IQ decision-maker, and his injury history is scary. It would be fun to see what he could do on a good team playing off a real A1 star, but his contract pays him like he is an A1 star, and he’s never been able to carry his team to winning. LaVine is something of a sympathetic figure after spending his whole career on three hopeless franchises, but it makes sense that no one wants a flawed co-star paid like a superstar on their salary sheet.”
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Once again, the Kings have made a big mistake. This LaVine contract can just be added to the list of boneheaded moves the Kings have made over the last two decades.
More NBA: Kings predicted to trade Malik Monk for 41.3% three-point shooter, draft picks
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