De’Aaron Fox Lands With the Spurs, Zach LaVine Heading to Kings in a Massive 3-Team Trade

Zach LaVine at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Sports Awards in 2015. Photo by Rob Latour/Shutterstock (4904787dl)
Zach LaVine at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Sports Awards in 2015. Photo by Rob Latour/Shutterstock (4904787dl)

The De’Aaron Fox era is over in Sacramento. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Kings are trading Fox to the San Antonio Spurs while acquiring two-time All-Star Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls as part of the three-team trade.

Reportedly, the deal will see Spurs receive Fox and veteran Jordan McLaughlin from the Kings. Sacramento will get LaVine from the Bulls and Sidy Cissoko from the Spurs while also receiving three first-round picks and three second-round picks. Finally, the Bulls will get Zach Collins and Tre Jones from the Spurs, and Kevin Huerter from the Kings, and re-acquire their own first-round pick from 2025.

The deal will see the Spurs finally get another star to complement their franchise centerpiece in Victor Wembanyama. San Antonio managed to do so without scarifying their promising young players or giving up a big chunk of the draft assets they have piled up over the last couple of years.

Despite struggling with three-point shooting this season, Fox is putting together another impressive campaign in 2024-25. He is currently averaging 25.0 points to go with 6.1 assists and a career-high 5.0 rebounds.

Kings’ decision to move on from Fox isn’t surprising considering that the All-Star point guard showed little intention of remaining in Sacramento. Despite being offered an extension on multiple occasions, Fox rejected the opportunity to commit to the franchise, something which Kings took as a sign that they have to act quickly in order not to lose him for nothing when his contract expires in the summer of 2026.

In LaVine, the Kings received a polarizing player but one that they have under contract for several more years and who can put up big numbers on the offense. LaVine is currently playing the most efficient basketball of his career, shooting 44.6% from behind the arc and 51.1% from the floor. He is averaging 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game.

Finally, the Bulls are happy to finally move LaVine after shopping him for the past two seasons without much success. They also get several movable contracts and the opportunity to pick in the lottery in the 2025 NBA Draft if their season unravels.