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Welcome in to your morning cup of Kings. All-Star weekend is officially over and it’s almost time for the Sacramento Kings to get back to work.
If you missed the news late last week, Zach LaVine is heading for season ending hand surgery according to NBATV’s Chris Haynes.
LaVine missed the final three games heading into the All-Star break with what the team called a “Right 5th Finger; Tendon Injury.“ Despite Haynes’ report, the team has yet to confirm the injury news and declined to comment.
This is a complicated issue. LaVine has every right to get a second opinion on an injury and make decisions about his health. Sacramento owes him $47 million for this season and another $49 million next season for a player option.
Despite reports to the contrary, it is highly unlikely that LaVine will opt out of his contract for next season. It is also past the deadline for the Kings to apply for an injured player exception for this season, which would have given the team the option to sign a player for up to half of LaVine’s salary. That deadline was January 15.
If LaVine is done for the year, it opens the door for rookie Nique Clifford to step into a starting role for the remainder of the season. It also allows for Clifford to play the shooting guard position and work as a secondary ball handler instead of running the point for long stretches of the game.
This isn’t a perfect situation, but LaVine’s long term future with the team was in doubt before this injury. Hopefully he can get 100 percent healthy for next season, be it in Sacramento or elsewhere.
Here is the latest Locked On Kings episode coming out of the All-Star break. Topics include the LaVine situation, as well as a discussion on tanking and potential NBA expansion.
What’s next
Players will start filtering back into Sacramento over the next two days, with a likely practice set for Wednesday. The team hosts the Orlando Magic at Golden 1 Center on Thursday, before heading out on a five game road trip starting Saturday in San Antonio against former Kings players De’Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes and Jordan McLaughlin.
When it all clicks.
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