The Sacramento Kings are banking on their second bold in-season change to yield similar success as the first one. Since promoting Doug Christie as interim coach to replace Mike Brown, the Kings have gone 12-6. Now, they’ve made another significant move by trading for two-time All-Star guard Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls.

LaVine is expected to make his Kings debut against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. The trade also brought in second-year forward Sidy Cissoko from the San Antonio Spurs, along with six draft picks.
LaVine, who sat out his last three games for personal reasons, joins a Kings team that has recently struggled, losing four of six after a 10-1 stretch. Sacramento is currently tied for the second play-in spot in the Western Conference.
Kings standout Domantas Sabonis emphasized the importance of focusing on the task at hand, despite the emotional impact of losing a friend in De’Aaron Fox, who was traded to the Spurs as part of the deal.
LaVine, who averaged 26.4 points in his last five games with the Bulls, will look to bring his scoring prowess to Sacramento. However, he struggled in his two games against Orlando this season, totaling just 19 points on 5-of-18 shooting.
The Magic, on the other hand, are in the midst of a challenging six-game road trip, having lost their first four games. Despite a close loss to the Golden State Warriors, where they had a chance late in the game, Orlando has struggled at the foul line, being outscored 84-67 during their losing streak.
This will be the first meeting between the Kings and the Magic this season, with the Magic set to host Sacramento on March 29.