Kings trade Fox to Spurs, get Bulls' LaVine
The Sacramento Kings have reportedly sent star De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs while acquiring Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls.
Another NBA superstar is on the move, as the San Antonio Spurs are reportedly finalising a three-team trade that would land them standout guard De'Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings, who will acquire two-time All-Star Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls as part of the blockbuster deal.
ESPN reported Sunday that a total of seven players will be involved, with the Bulls also obtaining guard Kevin Huerter from Sacramento and forward Zach Collins and guard Tre Jones from the Spurs. The Kings will also receive second-year forward Sidy Cissoko from the Spurs while sending reserve guard Jordan McLaughlin to San Antonio.
The Kings will also receive three first-round draft picks and three second-round selections in exchange for Fox, an All-Star in 2022-23 who helped Sacramento end a 16-year absence from the playoffs that season.
Fox had spent his entire eight-year career in Sacramento after being taken by the Kings with the fifth overall pick of the 2017 draft, but his long-term commitment to the franchise came into question after he turned down a reported three-year, $165 million extension in October.
The 27-year-old, who is signed through 2025-26, now heads to San Antonio to give the Spurs a needed second star to pair with 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama. Fox has averaged 25.1 points, 6.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game since 2020-21.
BREAKING: Sacramento is finalizing a trade to send De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs in a multi-team trade that moves Chicago Bulls' Zach LaVine to the Kings, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/Ftmo8N4hMj
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 3, 2025
Sacramento, which is currently tied with the Golden State Warriors for the Western Conference's final play-in spot, does get a proven scorer in return in LaVine. The 11-year veteran has averaged 24.8 points per game since 2019-20 and is in the midst of a strong season, as he's averaged 24.0 points in 42 games while shooting a career-best 44.6 per cent from 3-point range.
LaVine, who is also under contract for next season and has a 2026-27 player option, will reunite with former Bulls' teammate DeMar DeRozan. The two played together for three seasons in Chicago before the Bulls traded DeRozan to Sacramento in July.
The Spurs are sending the Charlotte Hornets' lottery-protected 2025 first-round pick to Sacramento as well as their own 2027 first-rounder and a 2031 first-round choice obtained from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Huerter is a career 37.5 per cent 3-point shooter whom the Bulls will count on to help fill the void left by LaVine, though the former first-round pick is averaging career lows in scoring (7.9 ppg) and 3-point percentage (30.2) this season and has been used sparingly by the Kings the past few weeks.
Collins averaged 11.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game as a useful role player for the Spurs over the previous two seasons, though his playing time has also dwindled this season due to Wembanaya's continued emergence. The 27-year-old is averaging 4.6 points and under 12 minutes per game thus far in 2023-24.
Jones, a free agent at the end of this season, started 113 games for a rebuilding Spurs team over the course of the 2022-23 and 2023–24 campaigns and averaged 11.4 points and 6.4 assists per game over that period. The former Duke star averaged 4.4 points and 3.8 assists in 28 games in a backup role for San Antonio this season.
Fox is the second premier guard from a Western Conference team to be traded in two days. The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a massive swap of superstars on Saturday, with Dallas sending 2023-24 NBA MVP finalist Luka Doncic to Los Angeles in a deal that landed 10-time All-Star forward Anthony Davis with the Mavericks.