NBA free agency: Sacramento Kings lose fan favorite to Los Angeles Lakers
Kings fans quickly grew to love Jake LaRavia during his time in Sacramento, but that time has come to an abrupt end.
There was hope LaRavia would re-sign with Sacramento, but instead the unrestricted free agent forward has chosen to join LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers. LaRavia agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal with the Lakers shortly after NBA free agency began Monday, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The Kings acquired LaRavia ahead of the February trade deadline as part of a three-team trade involving the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards. He appeared in 19 games for Sacramento, averaging 6.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 0.9 steals while shooting 47.5% from the field and 42.3% from 3-point range.
Under rules of the collective bargaining agreement, the Kings could only offer LaRavia $5.2 million in the first year of a new contract because they inherited the terms of his contract via trade after the Grizzlies declined his team option for 2025-26. Other teams were able to offer more money, and the Lakers did.
LaRavia was quickly embraced as a fan favorite during his Kings debut in a 123-118 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Feb. 8 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The Kings trailed by 20 before LaRavia came on to change everything, bringing life to his team and energy to the arena.
In his first 1:22, LaRavia had a steal, a layup, a 3-pointer, a blocked shot and a dunk as Sacramento stormed back to cut the deficit to seven late in the first quarter. LaRavia appreciated the warm welcome and the show of appreciation from Kings fans.
“I’m glad I was able to make a statement,” LaRavia said. “Obviously, I checked in the game and got that steal and that layup pretty quickly. I’m excited to be here. I love that the crowd was getting behind me and I’m excited to play more games.”
When the season ended, LaRavia said he was open to the idea of returning to Sacramento, especially if Doug Christie was retained as head coach.
“I could definitely see myself back here in Sac,” LaRavia said. “I really enjoyed Doug as the head coach, so him getting that job ... I would enjoy that and I could definitely see myself back here.
“I really enjoyed the fanbase. I’ve only played for one other team, but Sacramento really welcomed me with open arms when I first got here. Like I said earlier, I thought this was a very beneficial move for me and I thought it played out pretty well.”
This story was originally published June 30, 2025 at 5:28 PM.
