Sacramento came close to adding the perennial All-Star talent, including a push from Zach LaVine. Here's why it fell apart.
The Sacramento Kings nearly pulled off a massive roster makeover involving Trae Young.
NBA insider Marc Stein revealed the bombshell report Sunday, including unveiling the involvement current Kings star Zach LaVine had in the possibility.
"The Stein Line" shared how LaVine lobbied for Sacramento to land Young. But that's not all -- as former general manager of the Kings Monte McNair "explored the idea" of adding the sharpshooter.
Young wasn't the only player mentioned in the possible deal that ended up backfiring. DeAaron Fox rose as another option in the rumored deal.
So what went wrong and how did Young end up staying put?
"Those conversations never advanced" Stein shared.
There's more -- Scott Perry's transition to the Kings blew up the Young trade idea. Perry let it be known he wants to work with the current lineup of guards. Which also means expressing no desire to add notable trade contenders Ja Morant, LaMelo Ball or Young. Multiple reports also reveal that Perry prefers guards who aren't limited on the defensive end.
Sacramento hasn't fared much better since the botched rumored idea of pursuing Young. The Kings endured a long eight-game slide that included the 137-96 beatdown at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night. Sacramento looked disorganized and as a team needing a roster blowup under head coach Doug Christie.
But Sacramento snapped the skid on Saturday in Denver -- winning 128-123 behind Russell Westbrook's 21 points and 11 assists. The perennial NBA All-Star even dropped 15 points in the fourth quarter to power the road victory at Ball Arena.
Still, Kings fans are left facing a "what if" scenario involving Young. Including what if both he and LaVine shared the same floor together and what if Young were to "light the beam" after Kings home games.
LaVine is one of the more trusted shooters on the floor for Sacramento proven by his 21.4 points per game average. The 30-year-old, though, would've formed quite the energizing tandem in the backcourt with Young -- especially for a head coach who played with a dynamic shooter and passer in Mike Bibby during the early 2000s in Sacramento. Kings fans likely would've manifested something similar.
Instead, the Kings remain stuck with the 37-year-old Westbrook trying to defy father time alongside LaVine. Meanwhile, Sacramento also has DeMar DeRozan as one other aging veteran -- who improved his own point total from his dismal performance against Memphis.