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MIAMI — Recently, among the primary questions of impact for the Miami Heat this offseason stood:
How much is a team willing to pay a player not to play?
How much is a team willing to pay a player to go away?
Both pertained to the same player in a way that had some believing there could be an easy out to fill out a Heat roster thinned by the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.
The player in question is Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine. The pay in question is the $49 million LaVine is due on the final year of his Kings contract, having opted into that figure in June.
For weeks, speculation tied LaVine to a potential buyout, as the Kings turn toward youth in yet another Sacramento rebuild.
Where that pertained to the Heat was this: LaVine, if bought out by the Kings, not only would be a tempting option, but would stand as a potential big-minutes starting option at shooting guard in a lineup otherwise set with Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell.
So the NBA rumor mill — as the NBA rumor mill is wont to do — put LaVine into play, even if there was no such mention or indication by the Kings front office.
Conjecture of LaVine possible shaking free was heightened when ESPN Radio Sacramento’s James Ham noted, “When Zach LaVine accepted that $49 million, he accepted the reality that he is nearly untradeable, and that any trade that would happen should happen now, and if he’s going to get bought out, it should happen now, because after this it’s not advantageous for anybody.”
However, in a follow up report, the Sacramento Bee noted, “Assuming he isn’t traded, which is highly unlikely given his exorbitant salary, LaVine will play out the final year of his contract in Sacramento before becoming an unrestricted free agent. Taking LaVine’s salary off the books (in the 2027 offseason) will give General Manager Scott Perry much-needed financial flexibility and salary cap relief.”
Ultimately, what initially was tossed out there was reeled back in, with Ham noting over the weekend on a Kings-themed podcast, “According to that source, the Kings have no thought of buying out Zach LaVine at this time. They also plan on him coming back and being ready to have a big year in what is a contract season for him. And according to that source, LaVine is aligned with this thinking. So, at this point, they’re tied to each other for the 2026-27 season.”
From the start, the LaVine speculation stood on a completely different level from what might yet happen for the Heat with Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson.
As the Heat wait on a potential buyout of Thompson, the difference is that Thompson is due $17.5 million this coming season. With the Heat able to offer around $7 million of their remaining share of the mid-level exception, it is a buyout tradeoff that potentially could prove workable if Thompson kicks back that amount to Dallas to move on to the Heat (as has been speculated as a preference).
Such a $7 million giveback by LaVine, 31, however, still would have left the Kings on the hook for $42 million to pay LaVine to walk away, as opposed to holding on to his salary for potential use in a trade.
Undeniable was that LaVine, with his shot creation and high-end 3-point shooting, would have fit a definitive need for the Heat, allowing Erik Spoelstra to instead utilize the streak scoring of Tim Hardaway Jr. in reserve. That, in turn, would have bolstered a Heat bench that currently features Bobby Portis Jr., Pelle Larsson, Dru Smith, Simone Fontecchio, Nikola Jovic, Myron Gardner and second-round pick Ryan Conwell.
In the end, if there is to be a Kings move with LaVine, it could come down to how much salary, if any, that LaVine and agent Rich Paul might be willing to forgo in order to get LaVine back in a featured role — one that assuredly could be crafted by the Heat, based on a current roster composition significantly shy on wing shot creation.
LaVine appeared in only 39 games last season before undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right pinky finger, a move seemingly hastened by the Kings again being eliminated early from playoff contention.
As a matter of reference, these have been among the largest NBA buyouts over the years:
Damian Lillard: Had two seasons remaining on Milwaukee Bucks contract at $113 million in 2025, did not surrender salary, received $113 million in buyout.
Bradley Beal: Had two seasons remaining on Phoenix Suns contract in 2025, surrendered $14 million, received $96 million in buyout.
Blake Griffin: Had 1 1/2 seasons remaining on Detroit Pistons contract at $75 million in 2021, surrendered $13.5 million, received $61.7 million in buyout.
Kemba Walker: Had two seasons remaining on Oklahoma City Thunder contract at $73.7 million in 2021, surrendered $20 million, received $53.7 million in buyout.
John Wall: Had one season remaining on Houston Rockets contract at $47.4 million in 2022, surrendered $6.5 million, received $40.9 million in buyout.
Heat announced Monday that their annual Red, White & Pink Game scrimmage will be held at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 6 at Kaseya Center. Tickets are $10, with proceeds benefiting cancer care and research at Baptist Health Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute.
Sales began at 10 a.m. Monday at HEAT.com/RedWhitePink for season-ticket holders and will begin Tuesday 10 a.m. for all others.
Parking, at $5, will be offered in the arena’s P2 garage.
Continue reading...
How much is a team willing to pay a player not to play?
How much is a team willing to pay a player to go away?
Both pertained to the same player in a way that had some believing there could be an easy out to fill out a Heat roster thinned by the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.
The player in question is Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine. The pay in question is the $49 million LaVine is due on the final year of his Kings contract, having opted into that figure in June.
For weeks, speculation tied LaVine to a potential buyout, as the Kings turn toward youth in yet another Sacramento rebuild.
Where that pertained to the Heat was this: LaVine, if bought out by the Kings, not only would be a tempting option, but would stand as a potential big-minutes starting option at shooting guard in a lineup otherwise set with Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell.
So the NBA rumor mill — as the NBA rumor mill is wont to do — put LaVine into play, even if there was no such mention or indication by the Kings front office.
Conjecture of LaVine possible shaking free was heightened when ESPN Radio Sacramento’s James Ham noted, “When Zach LaVine accepted that $49 million, he accepted the reality that he is nearly untradeable, and that any trade that would happen should happen now, and if he’s going to get bought out, it should happen now, because after this it’s not advantageous for anybody.”
However, in a follow up report, the Sacramento Bee noted, “Assuming he isn’t traded, which is highly unlikely given his exorbitant salary, LaVine will play out the final year of his contract in Sacramento before becoming an unrestricted free agent. Taking LaVine’s salary off the books (in the 2027 offseason) will give General Manager Scott Perry much-needed financial flexibility and salary cap relief.”
Ultimately, what initially was tossed out there was reeled back in, with Ham noting over the weekend on a Kings-themed podcast, “According to that source, the Kings have no thought of buying out Zach LaVine at this time. They also plan on him coming back and being ready to have a big year in what is a contract season for him. And according to that source, LaVine is aligned with this thinking. So, at this point, they’re tied to each other for the 2026-27 season.”
From the start, the LaVine speculation stood on a completely different level from what might yet happen for the Heat with Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson.
As the Heat wait on a potential buyout of Thompson, the difference is that Thompson is due $17.5 million this coming season. With the Heat able to offer around $7 million of their remaining share of the mid-level exception, it is a buyout tradeoff that potentially could prove workable if Thompson kicks back that amount to Dallas to move on to the Heat (as has been speculated as a preference).
Such a $7 million giveback by LaVine, 31, however, still would have left the Kings on the hook for $42 million to pay LaVine to walk away, as opposed to holding on to his salary for potential use in a trade.
Undeniable was that LaVine, with his shot creation and high-end 3-point shooting, would have fit a definitive need for the Heat, allowing Erik Spoelstra to instead utilize the streak scoring of Tim Hardaway Jr. in reserve. That, in turn, would have bolstered a Heat bench that currently features Bobby Portis Jr., Pelle Larsson, Dru Smith, Simone Fontecchio, Nikola Jovic, Myron Gardner and second-round pick Ryan Conwell.
In the end, if there is to be a Kings move with LaVine, it could come down to how much salary, if any, that LaVine and agent Rich Paul might be willing to forgo in order to get LaVine back in a featured role — one that assuredly could be crafted by the Heat, based on a current roster composition significantly shy on wing shot creation.
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LaVine appeared in only 39 games last season before undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right pinky finger, a move seemingly hastened by the Kings again being eliminated early from playoff contention.
As a matter of reference, these have been among the largest NBA buyouts over the years:
Damian Lillard: Had two seasons remaining on Milwaukee Bucks contract at $113 million in 2025, did not surrender salary, received $113 million in buyout.
Bradley Beal: Had two seasons remaining on Phoenix Suns contract in 2025, surrendered $14 million, received $96 million in buyout.
Blake Griffin: Had 1 1/2 seasons remaining on Detroit Pistons contract at $75 million in 2021, surrendered $13.5 million, received $61.7 million in buyout.
Kemba Walker: Had two seasons remaining on Oklahoma City Thunder contract at $73.7 million in 2021, surrendered $20 million, received $53.7 million in buyout.
John Wall: Had one season remaining on Houston Rockets contract at $47.4 million in 2022, surrendered $6.5 million, received $40.9 million in buyout.
Preseason scrummage
Heat announced Monday that their annual Red, White & Pink Game scrimmage will be held at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 6 at Kaseya Center. Tickets are $10, with proceeds benefiting cancer care and research at Baptist Health Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute.
Sales began at 10 a.m. Monday at HEAT.com/RedWhitePink for season-ticket holders and will begin Tuesday 10 a.m. for all others.
Parking, at $5, will be offered in the arena’s P2 garage.
Continue reading...
