In what was expected to be the biggest deal of the trade deadline before the Mavericks and Lakers stunned the world, the San Antonio Spurs acquired De’Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings in a mega three-team trade.
The Spurs were able to keep most of their draft capital and all of their young talent in the trade, setting them up to make another future move if they so choose. That is arguably the most impressive part of the trade.
As for the Kings, they come to a quick resolution to satisfy the disgruntled Fox, sending him to his desired destination and acquiring three first-round picks. They also acquire Zach LaVine, who is in the midst of a career-best season, and reunite him with DeMar DeRozan.
Chicago, meanwhile, was able to acquire their own first-round draft pick back from the Spurs and can now turn the page toward a rebuild. There were a lot of moving parts in this trade, but all parties got what they wanted.
The San Antonio Spurs not only got significantly better while keeping all of their assets.
The Spurs have long wanted a point guard to pair next to Wemby, and adding Fox could unlock a new dimension in the team’s offense. His ability to consistently get downhill, his three-level scoring, and putting pressure on the defense will free up the court for Wemby in a way we have not seen.
San Antonio does have some work to do, as they are two games out of the play-in in the West, but they made this trade for their future, and it will take time to integrate Fox. By next season, they could be serious contenders.
Sacramento, meanwhile, could have done a lot more with this trade. On the surface, three first-round picks and three second-rounders sound great, until you look deeper. One of the first-round picks from the Hornets likely won’t convey and will become two second-round picks. The 2027 first they acquired from the Spurs will likely be a late first-round pick at this rate, especially with the addition of Fox.
Who won the trade: The Spurs, Sacramento Kings, or the Chicago Bulls?
The 2031 Minnesota pick is valuable and time will tell if the Timberwolves can build a sustained winner, but the fact that the Kings couldn’t get any of the Hawks picks from the Dejounte Murray trade is disappointing.
In addition to that, they didn’t acquire any of the Spurs' young talent in Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle, Jeremy Sochan, or Keldon Johnson. Instead, they got LaVine, who has been great, but this keeps the Kings mired in mediocrity instead of committing to a needed rebuild.
As for Chicago, after years of putting it off, can finally start tanking. They got their own first round pick back in this deal and given LaVine’s quiet market, this is a victory. LaVine’s contract was the main road block in why it took so long for him to be traded and the Bulls got that off their books while acquiring draft capital.
Kevin Huerter, Zach Collins, and Tre Jones also head to the Windy City in this deal, and the team can audition them for the rest of the season in hopes of acquiring even more draft capital in the offseason. The contracts of Huerter and Collins are not great, which brings the Bulls’ grade down a bit.
San Antonio comes out as a clear winner in this deal, while Sacramento left a lot on the table, and Chicago did the best that they could given the circumstances.