Zach LaVine Expresses Concerns with Kings' Slow Start

The Sacramento Kings are not off to a great start to the 2025–26 NBA season. They are currently 3–7, which is the 11th seed in the Western Conference. Even with a team full of talented players, there doesn’t seem to be much hope in Sacramento for things to turn around.

Zach LaVine discussed the current state of the team recently, saying it shouldn’t be time for the Kings to panic quite yet. 

“It’s frustrating because we’ve got a lot of talented guys on the team — guys that care and are competitive. But it’s something we’ve got to work through. You don’t want it happening now at Game 8, and you definitely don’t want it later in the season. At least we have time to look at some film and try to fix it. Yeah, I mean, it’s frustrating. It just doesn’t feel good to get your ass whooped by 25–30 the last couple games.”

And yet, right after this quote, there were rumblings in Sacramento. The Kings’ trade rumors have officially begun now that reports have surfaced that the team may be looking to pivot away from its current core and start rebuilding.

Supposedly, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Domantas Sabonis are all on the trade block. 

This is the right move for the Kings. Sure, LaVine is right. The season has just begun, and there is still plenty of time to turn things around. That being said, the Kings are just not built well to compete in this competitive Western Conference. 

They are much better off selling their assets and starting a rebuild. Something they probably should have done a few years ago.