The New Orleans Pelicans have been pursuing Bennedict Mathurin, and I recently suggested that, instead of targeting Mathurin, they should look at Zach LaVine. Although Mathurin is younger and, in theory, fits the team's timeline better, LaVine fits the team's needs as an elite three-point shooter and off-the-ball scorer much better. The issue with acquiring LaVine was that it appeared New Orleans was on a time crunch.
It was reported by ESPN Radio's James Ham that the Kings were exploring potentially buying LaVine out. With the Pelicans not being an ideal landing spot for a veteran in his 30s chasing a title, it appeared that their only hope was to trade for him before Sacramento cut him loose.
Thankfully for the Pelicans, it now sounds like the front office will have way more time to pursue a potential move for LaVine as the offseason comes to a close. Carmichael Dave of SacTown Sports radio reported that, after speaking with people close to the Kings, he heard there are no plans to buy out LaVine. This is great news for the Pelicans, as even though Dave also said the Kings were looking forward to integrating LaVine into their lineup, he could hit the trade market midseason.
UPDATE:
— Carmichael Dave (@CarmichaelDave) July 31, 2026
Speaking to sources close to the team, the Kings have NO PLANS to buy out Zach Lavine, and are looking forward to fully integrating him into the squad this season, and him excelling in the role.
Zach LaVine is exactly what the Pelicans are missing
This isn’t the first time I’ve mentioned LaVine as a target for the Pelicans, and it definitely won’t be the last, because he truly has everything this team should be searching for in a two-guard.
At 31 years old, LaVine is at a point in his career where he’s transitioning away from being that on-ball, high-volume shot creator to an off-ball shot maker. With a career three-point percentage of 39.1 percent, LaVine would instantly be the team's second most reliable shooter behind Trey Murphy III. Having him and Murphy III at the two and three would give Zion Williamson and Dejounte Murray both more options to kick out to when they're driving to the rim and getting downhill.
The drive-and-kick game is such a crucial piece in the modern NBA, and time and again during the 2025-26 season, we saw the Pelicans just didn’t have it. Adding that layer of offense to New Orleans' attack would help modernize this team's style of play and open up the floor.
Outside of being open off drives and kicks, LaVine also thrives in DHO’s and coming down off of screens and scoring off the catch. Those are skills New Orleans hasn’t had outside of Trey Murphy III over the last few seasons.
LaVine also still has a ton of juice as an on-ball scorer, and while that role isn’t ideally where the Pelicans would deploy him, having another guy to create for himself isn’t going to hurt. We saw last season this team struggled with late-game execution, losing 18 games by five or fewer points; adding LaVine to the mix could help that. Having another guy down the stretch that can reliably knock down perimeter shots and score in clutch situations would be huge.
Although it doesn’t sound like the Pelicans will be able to nab LaVine before training camp anymore, hearing Sacramento has no plans to buy him out is a great sign. Instead of worrying about a time crunch, they now can sit back and let things unfold naturally.
Add us as a preferred source on Google