During the first weekend of February, multiple blockbuster trades have occurred throughout the National Basketball Association. The bigger trade during the weekend was the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, and Utah Jazz trade. Shortly after the “Luka-AD exchange,” in less than 24 hours, the San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, and Chicago Bulls came out with another mind-boggling trade.
Spurs received young star guard De’Aaron Fox and guard Jordan McLaughlin, both shipped from the Kings. The Kings received a boatload, primarily due to Fox’s very valuable departure. Kings received star guard Zach Lavine, guard Sidy Cissoko, a 2025 first-round pick, a 2025 second-round pick, a 2027 second-round pick, 2 2028 second-round picks, and a 2031 first-round pick. The Bulls received the smaller part of the trade, obtaining forward Zach Collins, guard Tre Jones, and guard Kevin Huerter.
Let’s start with the Chicago Bulls. They were the clear losers in the trade. Basketball experts rated the Bulls with a C- for the trade grade. Receiving all roll players after giving up a star guard seems like a very big loss. 29-year-old guard Zach Lavine, throughout his NBA career, has key averages of 24.0 points a game, 51.1% field goal percentage, and a 44.6% 3-point percentage this season. He has had a productive career with averages of 20.7 points a game, 46.8% field goal percentage, and a 38.7% 3-point percentage.
Zach Lavine began his career getting drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves 13th overall in the 2014 NBA draft. Lavine’s first season with the Timberwolves he averaged 10.1 points a game, 41.7% field goal percentage, and a 34.1% 3-point average. He improved throughout his stint with the Timberwolves and 18.9 points a game, a 45.9% field goal percentage, and a 38.7% 3-point percentage during the 2016-2017 NBA season. He also was a 2-time dunk contest winner in the 2015 and 2016 dunk contests showcased during the respective NBA All-Star weekends. In 2017, the Timberwolves traded Zach Lavine to the Chicago Bulls as a part of the package for star guard Jimmy Butler.
From then on, Zach Lavine began to progress, emerging as a star. In Lavine’s time with the Bulls, he put up 24.3 points a game, 45.4% field goal percentage, and a 38.0% 3-point percentage and was selected for the 2021 and 2022 All-Star games as a reserve for the East selection. During Lavine’s “lease” with the Bulls, he was a key player for the Bulls alongside star forward DeMar DeRozan. Lavine was a great scorer and was an offensive threat, from on the paint to beyond the arc.
Now with Zach Lavine on the Sacramento Kings, he won’t be able to completely fill the shoes of De’Aaron Fox, but hopefully, his reunion with DeMar DeRozan, whom the Kings traded for earlier this season, will be able to spark something new. Maybe this year they could make a big playoff push and “Light the Beam” multiple times. That’s why the Kings receive a solid A for this trade. Not only do they save money with Fox’s departure (by not having to give out a massive contract extension), Kings obtain cap space to play around with, a lot of valuable draft picks, an extra point guard Jordan McLaughlin, and of course star guard Zach Lavine. Sacramento was the clear winner in the trade.
Now let’s transition over to De’Aaron Fox. Fox was selected 5th overall in the 2017 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings out of the University of Kentucky. Fox was one of the top-ranked prospects out of college. Fox was a 19-year-old coming off of freshmen year stats of 16.7 points a game, 47.4% field-goal percentage, and 24.6% from deep three-point range. Though the three-point shooting was under-whelming, Fox showed raw talent racking up an average of 4.6 assists a game and showcasing the aspects of a true point guard. De’Aaron Fox was expected to contribute early on for the Kings.
Fox, in his first season with the Sacramento Kings, was immediately put into the starting lineup with Zach Randolph, Buddy Hield, Willie Cauley-Stein, and Bogdan Bogdanović. Among the starters, Fox accumulated the least amount of points per game averaging 11.6 points a game. Some of his other averages included a 41.2% field-goal percentage and 30.7% three-point percentage. The Kings’ 2017-2018 season was rough, finishing 27-55 on the season and 12th overall in the Western Conference. On the upside, De’Aaron Fox his rookie season showed a lot of promise for the Kings’ future. He showcased his quickness, playmaking, and strong defense. The Kings’ front office sought him to be a key piece for their rebuild. On the downside though, his shot selection needed help and decision-making as the starting point-guard needed to be fixed fast. Despite being a clutch player, Fox lacked consistency during his rookie season. The Kings wanted him to fix his shooting, especially being a guard, and decision-making due to him being the key ball handler.
De’Aaron Fox really improved every year. In the 2018-2019 season, Fox improved to 17.3 points per game. In 2019-2020, Fox averaged 21.1 points per game. Over the next two seasons spanning from 2020-2022, he averaged 24.2 points per game. With these stats, the Kings were never really able to make the playoffs. However, Fox didn’t stop there, he continued to develop and grow, physically and mentally.
De’Aaron Fox really showcased his improved game during the 2022-2023 campaign. Ahead of the 2022-2023 season, De’Aaron changed his physical attributes, by gaining muscle, improving from around 185 lbs to over 200 lbs. The weight and muscle increase allowed him to be much more physical and absorb contact; meaning much more “AND 1s” and better defense all-around. Not only did De’Aaron Fox cook in the lab, but Sacramento’s front office did too by making key trades and signings that helped them secure the 3rd seed in the West. Safe to say the rebuild was successful, breaking their 16-year playoff drought. Kings’ major moves included hiring Head coach Mike Brown, who won the Coach of the Year award that same year. He was a defensive-minded coach who won the NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors as an assistant coach in 2022. The key signings included trading for Kevin Huerter from the Hawks, signing key guard Malik Monk, drafting Keegan Murray 4th overall in the 2022 NBA draft, and trading for all-star Center/Power-Forward Domantas Sabonis. The Kings did give up a lot to the Indiana Pacers for Domantas Sabonis, giving up Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson.
Transitioning back to the De’Aaron Fox and the 2022-2023 Sacramento Kings’ season, after finishing 3rd in the West, they were slated to play the Golden State Warriors in round 1 of the NBA playoffs. They took an aggressive 2-0 lead over the 6-seeded Golden State Warriors. Fox in his playoff debut, had averages of 27.4 points per game, 7.7 assists per game, 42.4% field goal percentage, and 33.3% from deep. Compared to his 25.0 points per game, 6.1 assists per game, 51.2% field goal percentage, and 32.4% from the arc. Fox was dominant in his playoff debut, being clutch when needed, including his 38-point game 1 performance. However, with a generational player like all-pro Stephen Curry on the court, no lead is safe. Some say he was the one who introduced the phrase, “no lead is safe” to the NBA. Saugus High School sophomore Henry Saywell had something to say about “Chef” Curry: “The greatest shooter to EVER LIVE! Nobody comes close to his glory. Hitting 3’s are the same as breathing to him. No wonder the Kings couldn’t get past him, besides King Lebron James!” Back to Curry, the Warriors stormed back, winning 3 games straight, and leading the series 3-2. Fox and the Kings were able to force a game 7, but Curry’s 50-point performance powered Golden State over Sacramento 120-100, winning the series 4-3. De’Aaron Fox and the Sacramento Kings’ magical run had ended there, but there was a lot to look forward to in the future, which is what they had thought.
The next season De’Aaron Fox continued his dominance in Sacramento, putting up 25.0 points a game, 5.6 assists a game, 46.5% field goal percentage, and a 36.9% three-point percentage. Throughout the 2023-2024 season, Fox was able to assert supremacy on the court, have his defensive presence felt on the court, and contribute as a star for the Sacramento Kings. With De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis’s consistent hard effort, the Kings were not able to achieve much. Finishing 10th in the Western Conference and losing in the 8th seed play-in game to the New Orlean Pelicans.
The Sacramento Kings were expected to show up and dominate in the 2024-2025 NBA season, but things would change, from in the locker room to the coaching staff. The King’s obvious pre-season pickup of DeMar DeRozan was expected to power them to the top of the Western Conference, however, the chemistry wasn’t there with the team. Fox was playing out of his mind though, in November he put up 60 points in a game, and 48 points in the following game. With that stat, De’Aaron Fox joined the elite company of DeMarcus Cousins, as the only 2 players to put up 100 points combined in back-to-back games. Shortly after the firing of 2023 Coach of the Year, Kings Head Coach Mike Brown, De’Aaron Fox was shipped to the San Antonio Spurs in a surprise trade, shortly after the Lakers-Mavs-Jazz surprise trade.
This is why the San Antonio Spurs receive an A- for this trade. Young guard De’Aaron Fox will likely spend the rest of his career down in Texas with a chance to win championships alongside NBA rising superstar and 2023 #1 overall NBA draft pick Victor “Wemby” Wembanyama. Fox’s play style perfectly complements Wemby’s aggressive and versatile playing style. Fox will be able to learn from and be mentored by veteran star guard Chris Paul in the years to come. Can’t forget about rising star guard Stephon Castle, who’ll likely be Fox’s “go-to” man. Think about all the De’Aaron Fox lobs to Wemby and assists to Stephon Castle in the upcoming seasons. Don’t be surprised if this team goes to the NBA Finals in 2 years, as these 2 seasons will likely be needed to develop players and build chemistry for San Antonio.
Spurs are currently sitting 12th in the West and will likely struggle the rest of the season. Whereas the Eastern Conference 10th-seeded Chicago Bulls will likely have to go into rebuild mode next season, having to build with guards Lonzo Ball, Coby White, and Josh Giddey. Finally, the Western Conference 9th-seeded Sacramento Kings will have to likely compete in the play-in tournament to even make the NBA playoffs, as they look to rekindle the chemistry DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine had. The East currently belongs to 3 teams: Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Whereas the West is much wilder, with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, healthy Los Angeles Clippers, healthy Golden State Warriors, and newly-looked Los Angeles Lakers all contenders in the West. The 2025 NBA playoffs are definitely slated to be a wild one this season!
