The NBA trade deadline is now less than a week away, and the De’Aaron Fox rumors are running rampant. The Sacramento Kings are reportedly listening to offers on their star point guard, and Fox has one destination in mind.
Fox has his eyes set on going to the San Antonio Spurs and teaming up with superstar big man Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs also have interest in acquiring Fox and giving Wemby his first real co-star helps their long-term outlook significantly.
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor proposed a blockbuster three-team trade that sees Fox land in San Antonio.
Who says no?
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) January 28, 2025
Spurs get: De’Aaron Fox
Kings get: John Collins, Collin Sexton, two firsts
Jazz get: Keldon Johnson, Zach Collins, Kevin Huerter, two firsts, two seconds
Sacramento could want proven players in package for Fox, so a three-way trade makes sense. pic.twitter.com/iNknEgdri5
San Antonio’s side of the trade is clear: they get Fox and they don’t mortgage their future in order to do so. This would be the ideal way of getting Fox, but it may not be realistic. The Kings reportedly covet Spurs guard Stephon Castle and that may hold up talks between the two teams, as Castle is seen as a core piece for San Antonio.
However, the Kings are prioritizing getting back win now players or intriguing young pieces that could help them in the future and this trade accomplishes that. They get John Collins and Collin Sexton, two very efficient offensive players that fit well within the team.
Sacramento also has had an interest in Collins for a while now and have been looking for a true frontcourt partner for Domantas Sabonis. Collins is averaging 18 PPG on 53 percent shooting and 45 percent from three-point range, making him an ideal offensive fit next to Sabonis.
As for Sexton, he is a solid replacement for Fox and is not making a lot of money. He is averaging about 19 PPG and four assists on 48 percent shooting and 42 percent from three-point range. He and Malik Monk would be an exciting scoring backcourt, and even if the Kings don’t see Sexton as a long-term asset (he’s a free agent in 2026), they could flip him as an expiring contract at next year’s deadline.
As for what Utah gets back, two first-rounders and two second-rounders add to their already stacked draft capital, and they get two veteran players in Johnson and Huerter. However, the question is whether or not they are willing to take on that much money in this trade.
Johnson has three years and about 55 million left on his deal, while Huerter has two years and about 35 million left on his. That’s 90 million dollars in new money.
The Jazz could always flip them in the next year or so for more assets, and they do have the cap space to take the contracts on, but Danny Ainge may be looking for even more draft capital in order to be convinced to take on two big contracts.
The framework of this deal is not bad, but some tweaking may need to be done in order to make all three parties happy. Castle not being in the deal could sour Sacramento on dealing Fox and the Jazz may want more picks to take on Johnson and Huerter’s contracts.