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According to a league source, the Sacramento Kings have traded star point guard De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs, ending a week of chaos in the Capital City. ESPN was first with the news. 

Fox, who played in his 500th game in a Kings uniform on Saturday night in a 144-110 drubbing in Oklahoma City, will join superstar in the making Victor Wembanyama, forming one of the more unique duos in the game. 

The transaction isn’t for the faint of heart for Kings fans. Sacramento received Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls, along with Sidy Cissoko and draft compensation from both the Spurs and Bulls. Kevin Huerter is on his way to Chicago, along with Zach Collins, Tre Jones and the Bulls own 2025 first round pick, which the Spurs owned. Kings reserve guard Jordan McLaughlin is also heading to San Antonio.

As part of the trade, the Kings received the Charlotte Hornets’ 2025 first round selection, a 2027 first round pick from the Spurs and a 2031 first round selection from the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

While the 2025 pick from the Hornets sounds appealing, it is top 14 protected. If it is not relayed this season, it turns into the Hornets’ 2026 second round selection and the New York Knicks’ 2027 second round pick. Charlotte currently sits at 12-34 on the season with very little chance of moving outside of the top 14. 

In addition to the three first round picks, the Kings also received a 2025 second round pick from Chicago via the Spurs. The Kings already had the rights to this pick, but it was 31-55 protected. Now it is an unprotected second round pick. Sacramento also got the Denver Nuggets’ 2028 second round pick (protected 31-33) and their own 2028 second round pick back from the Bulls.

LaVine is a dynamic scorer and creator. At 29 (30 on March 10), he is in his prime as a player and he will fit into the starting lineup alongside Malik Monk. 

In this eleventh NBA season, the UCLA product is averaging 24 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 34 minutes a night for the Bulls. He’s currently shooting a career-best 44.6 percent from behind the arc and 51.1 percent from the field. 

For a team like the Kings that have struggled from 3-point range all season, LaVine is a huge upgrade over Fox and Huerter in this area. Not only does LaVine shoot 43.5 percent off of catch-and-shoot threes, but he can create his own shot from distance, hitting 44.8 percent this season on 4.4 pull-up threes per game. 

LaVine lit the Kings up for 36 points and 10 rebounds during a January 12 matchup, hitting 5-for-8 from long range. He is smooth with the ball and can act as a secondary playmaker alongside Monk. 

He is also very familiar with DeMar DeRozan, spending the last three seasons with the future Hall of Famer in Chicago. 

On the downside, LaVine has a long history of injuries, including a torn ACL in his left knee that occurred in 2017. He also underwent right foot surgery last season and played a total of 25 games. While he is known as an offensive weapon, LaVine isn’t known as a strong defender and his pairing with Monk in the backcourt could be an issue. 

Lastly, LaVine is under contract for $43 million this season, $46 million next season and he has a player option for $49 million for 2026-27. 

Cissoko has played sparingly during his time in San Antonio, seeing action in just 29 total games since being drafted with the 44th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Listed as 6-foot-5.5, 200 pounds, with a nearly 6-foot-9 wingspan, Cissoko has good size for a wing. He’s also just 20 years old.

A former member of the G League Ignite, Cissoko has put up solid numbers in the G League, posting 14.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 58 total games over the last three seasons.

There is a high likelihood that the Kings assess Cissoko in Stockton with their own G League squad. 

The front office wants to avoid a rebuild at all costs, which is why they chose to go with a seasoned scoring option, instead of what would have likely been multiple rotational players in a straight swap with the Spurs.

LaVine will step in and instantly draw a strong defensive cover, in the same way that Fox did over the last few seasons in Sacramento. This will help take pressure off of Monk and Sabonis. He also takes 16.9 shots per game, which is nearly three shots per game less than Fox. This could open more opportunities for a player like Keegan Murray.

The cost to acquire LaVine was a heavy one. Fox has been the face of the franchise for almost eight years. Fox is also close to three years younger than LaVine. LaVine’s contract over the next two seasons comes in at roughly $17 million more than Fox’s.

While LaVine is a more efficient scorer, Fox is a much better defender. Fox also doesn’t have the injury history that LaVine comes with. 

As for the picks, to be transparent, the Kings really received the equivalent of two future first round picks and five seconds. There is very little chance of the Charlotte pick conveying this season. On the positive side, the Kings had limited draft stock to work with and this could open some doors that weren’t there before.

Sacramento also dropped $10.5 million below the luxury tax and $14.4 million below the first apron, where the team is hard capped, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. They also created a $16.8 million trade exception to add to a growing list of trade exceptions.

I’m not a fan of draft or trade grades, but this is a tough one. The Spurs had better players and better picks to offer. Sacramento couldn’t land rookie Stephon Castle in the trade. They didn’t steal away the Atlanta Hawks 2025 or 2027 first round picks that the Spurs have hiding. 

Sacramento found a scorer who’s having a strong season, but they lost a top 20 player in the NBA in the transaction. Monte McNair and Wes Wilcox still have time to add before the deadline, but they failed to pull off a trade early in the season that could have avoided this situation. 

After watching the Kings crumble in OKC on Saturday, moving Fox may have been the only option, but the front office played a huge role in how this situation played out. They have a few days to add another piece or two that might change the feel of this transaction and the course of this season, especially if they can tie it into the larger deal.