The Sacramento Kings are utterly terrible. Despite squeaking out a win over the Portland Trailblazers the other night (who have been awful on the road this season anyway), they are one of the worst teams in basketball.
There are obviously worse teams. The Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, and Detroit Pistons all stand out in that regard. However, in terms of talent to success ratio, the Kings are the worst.
Sacramento has an All-Star-caliber point guard in De’Aaron Fox, quality role players such as Harrison Barnes and Buddy Hield, and solid young players such as Tyrese Haliburton and Davion Mitchell. They still sit at 7-12 on the year.
To think that firing Luke Walton will save all of the team’s problems is delusional – the organization needs to do something, and if they won’t, Fox might as well leave. Here are three NBA trades to get Fox out of Sacramento and help the team reset a rebuild that clearly did not work (for some reason).
NBA trades to get De’Aaron Fox away from the Sacramento Kings: Ben Simmons
Kings receive: Ben Simmons
76ers receive: De’Aaron Fox
Up to this point, the Sacramento Kings have refused to part ways with Fox in a trade for Simmons. However, they need to do something to change things up at this point.
This deal would allow Fox to run the show alongside Joel Embiid in Philadelphia. They would immediately be a title contender, and might even be favorites to win the East.
Meanwhile, the Kings would get a defensive-minded point guard. They desperately need help on that end of the floor, and Simmons is as good as it gets in that regard.
Kings fans may hate this deal because of how much drama Simmons has caused, but it’s really not that bad. A backcourt of Simmons and Haliburton could end up being elite.
NBA trades to get De’Aaron Fox away from the Sacramento Kings: Domantas Sabonis
Kings receive: Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Torrey Craig, 2026 First-Round Pick
Pacers receive: De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley III
These are two organizations that desperately need to switch things up. The Kings have not made the playoffs in 15 years, and the Indiana Pacers have seemingly become okay with mediocrity.
A trade like this one would shake things up for both sides, yet still allow each to compete for the playoffs. Let’s start off by taking a look at what the Pacers get.
Fox would take over as the team’s starting point guard, while Malcolm Brogdon would go back to playing shooting guard as he did in Milwaukee.
Domantas Sabonis may have made more All-Star games than Fox, but most would argue that Fox has more upside right now. He’s two years younger and has a lot more potential for growth.
Meanwhile, Indiana would also get to take a chance on Marvin Bagley III. The second-overall pick may just need a change of scenery to get his career back on track.
For the Kings, they would hand the keys to the backcourt to Tyrese Haliburton (and likely Davion Mitchell). Sabonis would slot in as the starting four, creating a starting lineup of Mitchell, Haliburton, Barnes, Sabonis, and Holmes.
This would give Sacramento a bench rotation of Buddy Hield, Jeremy Lamb, Torrey Craig, and others. They’d be getting plenty of talent in return for Fox.
NBA trades to get De’Aaron Fox away from the Sacramento Kings: Jaylen Brown
Kings receive: Jaylen Brown, Josh Richardson, Payton Pritchard, Juancho Hernangomez
Celtics receive: De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield
The Boston Celtics are just starting to get back on track, but some still have concerns as to whether or not Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum can co-exist. This trade would address those concerns.
Fox would join Tatum in Boston, giving the C’s another star point guard. They’ve had a slew of them over these past few years, but none have been able to stick around.
Meanwhile, the C’s would also receive Buddy Hield. They have been a terrible team from behind the arc this year, so adding Hield would give them a huge boost in that regard.
Having Fox as the primary facilitator next to guys such as Tatum, Al Horford, and Robert Williams would be great. He would be able to help Tatum lead the Celtics for years to come.
For the Kings, they would receive their new franchise cornerstone in Brown. He would finally get the chance to lead his own team alongside Haliburton.
Sacramento could roll out a starting lineup of Haliburton, Josh Richardson, Brown, Harrison Barnes, and Richaun Holmes. They would then be able to bring Davion Mitchell and Payton Pritchard off the bench, among others.
Brown has all the tools to be the star player on a playoff team, and that’s been the goal for the Sacramento Kings for years. Maybe swapping young stars is just the way to do it.