Victor Wembanyama has a new point guard: De'Aaron Fox is out of Sacramento and headed to San Antonio.
Fox is one of the centerpieces of a trade that three teams — the Kings, Spurs and Chicago Bulls — agreed to on Sunday and finalized Monday. Two-time All-Star Zach LaVine goes from Chicago to Sacramento, Kevin Huerter goes from the Kings to the Bulls and Zach Collins leaves the Spurs for the Bulls.
"I'm grateful I got to spend the beginning of my young adulthood here," Fox wrote in an Instagram post, addressing Sacramento fans on Monday. "The love for the city is unmatched. To the fans — y'all deserve the best. I wanted to end my career here and never expected it would end this way, but I'll always be grateful for your support."
Also involved in the trade: Jordan McLaughlin goes from Sacramento to the Spurs, Sidy Cissoko goes from the Spurs to the Kings and Tre Jones leaves the Spurs for Chicago. The Kings also get six future draft picks — three first-rounders, three second-rounders.
“De’Aaron has played a pivotal role with our franchise, and we are deeply grateful for everything he did to support the organization on and off the court,” Kings general manager Monte McNair said. “We appreciate Kevin’s many contributions to the team, especially as a key member of the 2023 playoff team. We also thank Jordan for his hard work and commitment during his time with the Kings.”
The NBA's trade deadline is Thursday afternoon. This three-team deal was agreed upon on the same day that the stunning deal sending Luka Doncic from the Mavericks to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis was announced.
Fox's addition is huge for the Spurs. Wembanyama — the reigning rookie of the year — is continuing his climb toward superstardom. He's set to make his All-Star Game debut later this month, is among the favorites to win defensive player of the year and probably will get MVP votes.
It's no surprise that Fox, who is extension-eligible this summer, wanted to come to the Spurs: Playing alongside one of the game's best centers, a 7-foot-4 force that most defenses don't have an answer for, would appeal to any point guard in the game.
Fox is averaging 25 points, 6.1 assists and five rebounds per game this season for the Kings. He's been an All-Star and an All-NBA player and now in his eighth season gets to start anew alongside Wembanyama.
And the Spurs made that happen without giving up much of their copious stash of draft picks or the keys to their young core — players like rookie Stephon Castle, Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johnson. The Spurs also held on to veterans Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes, both of whom are in their first year with San Antonio.
It's a new start for LaVine as well — sort of. He goes to Sacramento, where he'll be reunited with former Bulls teammate DeMar DeRozan and is set to play alongside a perennial All-NBA candidate in Domantas Sabonis.
“Zach has been a cornerstone for this organization and the city," Bulls executive vice president for basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said. "He truly embraced what it means to be a Bull. His work ethic and passion for the game have been inspiring. During his time here, he not only grew as a player but also started a family, and we watched him develop into the person he is today.”
LaVine is averaging 24 points per game this season, putting him on pace to average at least that many points for the fifth time. He's a 20.7-point-per-game scorer for his career after stints with Minnesota and the Bulls.
Huerter has averaged 11.5 points in his career, first with Atlanta and then with the Kings. He also will benefit from a fresh start after coming off the bench 28 times in 43 appearances with Sacramento this season.
Collins averaged 4.6 points for the Spurs, Jones averaged 4.4 points and Cissoko 1.3 points in 17 appearances with San Antonio. McLaughlin averaged 1.9 points in 28 games for the Kings.
To accommodate the moves, the Bulls waived forward Torrey Craig and guard Chris Duarte.
Chicago got its original 2025 first-round pick back from San Antonio in the deal, and Sacramento got its original 2028 second-round pick back from the Bulls. The Kings' first-round picks acquired are for 2025 (via Charlotte), 2027 (via San Antonio) and 2031 (via Minnesota), while the other second-round picks Sacramento got are for this year and 2028.
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Credit: AP