Kings' Zach LaVine will reportedly undergo season-ending surgery on right hand

Andy Backstrom Sat, February 14, 2026 at 1:41 AM UTC

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Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine will undergo season-ending surgery on his right hand after the All-Star break, longtime NBA insider Chris Haynes reported Friday.

LaVine, a two-time All-Star, was averaging a team-leading 19.2 points per game and shooting 47.9% from the field, including 39% from 3, this season. It's his second season with Sacramento after he was traded midseason from the Chicago Bulls last year in the three-team deal that sent now-two-time All-Star guard De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs.

The Kings have been riddled with injuries this season. Notably, center Domantas Sabonis missed extensive time earlier in the 2025-26 campaign due to a partially torn meniscus.

A three-time All-Star, Sabonis returned before the trade deadline. He had been the subject of trade talks this season, and so had LaVine and fellow veteran DeMar DeRozan.

The Kings, an NBA-worst 12-44 at the break and losers of 14 consecutive games, didn't deal any of those players. General manager Scott Perry did, however, send Keon Ellis and Dennis Schröder to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team trade that brought back De'Andre Hunter and moved Dario Šarić to the Chicago Bulls.

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Šarić has since been traded again and waived.

As for the soon-to-be-31-year-old LaVine, he sat out the past three games due to what the team described as a "right fifth finger tendon injury." That shooting-hand issue is reportedly requiring a procedure that will end LaVine's 12th season in the league.

Earlier this season, he sustained a left ankle injury when he landed awkwardly on a drive into the paint against his old team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, on Dec. 14. He missed nine games in a row as a result.

LaVine has a $48.9 million player option for next season. He's expected to pick that up, but trade rumors likely will resume in the offseason.

Although he led an imbalanced Kings roster in scoring this season, LaVine's 2.3 assists per game were the fewest he has averaged in his career. Plus, he was reeling in under three rebounds per contest for just the third time and the first since the 2015-16 campaign.

Known for his athleticism, LaVine made a name for himself as a two-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion with the Timberwolves, who took him No. 13 overall in the 2014 draft. Friday marked the 10-year anniversary of LaVine's high-flying showdown versus Aaron Gordon in the memorable 2016 dunk contest.

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Source: “AOL Sports”