De’Aaron Fox traded to the Spurs, Zach LaVine to Kings in multi-team deal: Source

De’Aaron Fox is headed to the San Antonio Spurs in a multi-team deal that’s sending Chicago’s Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings, a team source told The Athletic.

Kevin Huerter, Zach Collins and Tre Jones will head to the Chicago Bulls as part of the deal. Jordan McLaughlin will go to the Spurs. The Kings also are acquiring three first-rounders and three second-rounders in the trade, league sources said.

But one of the firsts is a Hornets 2025 top-14 protected pick, which almost surely won’t convey, instead becoming their 2026 and 2027 seconds, league sources said. So the final draft tally on the Fox trade for the Kings will presumably be five seconds and two firsts (San Antonio’s 2027 first and Minnesota’s 2031 first).

The move pairs Fox with French sensation Victor Wembanyama, last season’s rookie of the year. The Kings decided to field trade offers for the 27-year-old Fox over concerns about his long-term future in Sacramento, as The Athletic reported last week.

It’s been a productive but rocky season for Fox and the Kings, the last of his eight with the franchise that drafted him fifth in 2017. He departs averaging a team-high 25.0 points on nearly 47 percent shooting, ranking second on the Kings in assists, third in rebounds and first in steals.

But his 3-point percentage has careened back to 32.2 percent after rising to 36.9 percent a season ago and his signature fourth-quarter flurries weren’t as regular or impactful. The reigning Clutch Player of the Year dragged Sacramento across the finish line several times in its resurgent 46-win and 48-win seasons, the first two under then-head coach Mike Brown, but everything abruptly came to a December halt in Brown’s third season.

It was actually a clutch Fox blunder that became the signature event in Brown’s stunning dismissal, generating an extra ripple effect that only sped up Fox’s departure.

On Dec. 26, protecting a three-point lead over the Pistons with under 10 seconds left, Fox fell asleep defensively, gave up an open 3 in a no 3s scenario. He compounded the mistake with a desperation foul, gifting the Pistons a comeback win that capped a catastrophic 0-5 homestand and dropped the Kings to a disappointing 13-18.

JADEN IVEY 4-POINT PLAY FOR THE WIN ‼️

Pistons win 114-113 🚨 pic.twitter.com/9wuXDyj85V

— NBA (@NBA) December 27, 2024

In the aftermath, Brown ripped Fox for the mistake postgame and the organization decided to fire Brown the following afternoon, never explaining the decision publicly, which turned the spotlight onto Fox as many speculated about his involvement.

The sloppy timing and lack of organizational accountability only grew frustration within Fox that had been building about the instability and general stagnation in Sacramento, league sources confirmed. He’d made it clear in both his refusal to sign an extension this past summer and his transparent public comments to The Athletic and others about his desire to be on a perennial contender that his eyes were wandering.

The Kings rebounded with an inspired seven-game win streak under interim head coach Doug Christie and, still at 24-24 after some recent struggles, are in the mix for a Play-In spot in a crowded pocket of the Western Conference.

But Fox clearly has the bigger picture in mind and made it obvious to the front office that he views his future elsewhere. With 1 1/2 seasons still left on Fox’s contract, the Kings decided to strike now, before the value possibly diminishes this upcoming summer.

For the Spurs, this is the first high-priced personnel strike of the Wembanyama era, bringing in a legitimate perimeter co-star in his prime to speed up the rebuild process. Wembanyama is averaging 24.6 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and a stunning 4.0 blocks and 1.1 steals in a spectacular second season, already earning his first All-Star nod and well on his way to All-NBA and Defensive Player of the Year honors.

The Spurs improved at the margins around him this summer, adding veterans Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes to aid a young core that now includes Stephon Castle, drafted fourth in June and protected in these talks with the Kings. The Spurs are 21-25, on the fringe of the conference Play-In mix, and now have an elite scoring guard in Fox to integrate for a possible late-season push, but, more importantly, grow together for the next half-decade.

What Fox brings to the Spurs

The bold move comes at an opportune time for San Antonio, who desperately needed to add a running mate for Wembanyama that simply wasn’t there with the likes of Chris Paul or Devin Vassell. An offensive-minded, proficient pick-and-roll partner is exactly what the doctor ordered for the second-year Frenchman — and Fox consistently driving into the teeth of defense with a trailing Wembanyama could be devastating for opposing teams.

Over the last few seasons, Fox has improved drastically as a ball handler, going from a 65th percentile pick-and-roll ball handler in 2021 to the 91st this season, scoring an impressive 1.067 points per possession, according to Synergy tracking data. The Spurs also have a number of quality floor spacers — Barnes, Vassell and Julian Champagnie are all shooting above 36 percent from 3 on at least three attempts per game. — Kelly Iko, staff writer

Why the Bulls are moving on from LaVine

LaVine is having a resurgent season after appearing in only 25 games last season due to a right foot surgery. In 42 games for the Bulls, he averaged 24 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists over 34 minutes per game.

LaVine altered his game this season to align with the Bulls’ preferred playing style. In addition to being healthy, he became the most efficient version of himself as a result of the Bulls playing at a faster pace, increasing their number of 3-point attempts to rank second in the NBA and emphasizing quicker decisions with the ball. LaVine has shot 51.1 percent from the field and 44.6 percent on 7.3 3-pointers per game. Both percentages are career highs.

But with the Bulls committed to retooling their roster and charting a different path, LaVine no longer fit into the organization’s plans. He turns 30 in March and has two years remaining on his contract, with the final year being a $49 million player option.

LaVine played the past 7 1/2 seasons in Chicago after spending his first three seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was named an All-Star in 2021 and 2022, and the Bulls rewarded him with a five-year, $215 million contract extension in the 2022 offseason.

The Bulls committed to LaVine as their best player and teamed him with DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vučević, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso at the start of the 2021-22 season. Chicago’s front office, led by chief basketball executive Artūras Karnišovas, built the nucleus to be a perennial playoff contender, but the Bulls qualified for the postseason only once with that core, losing to Milwaukee in five games in 2022.

With LaVine in the lineup, the Bulls compiled a 174-242 record since 2017-18.

Trade discussions centered on LaVine have been par for the course for at least the past two seasons. The Bulls and LaVine acknowledged they were open to a trade early in the 2023-24 season, and LaVine had long been rumored to be a trade candidate before that.

It appeared the Bulls were on the verge of trading LaVine last summer when they began stripping their roster of veteran players. Chicago traded Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Josh Giddey and sent DeRozan to the Sacramento Kings for Chris Duarte, two second-round draft picks, cash and a trade exception.

At the team’s media day in September, however, Karnišovas said the Bulls weren’t finished making moves. LaVine, given his age and contract, was always the next logical player to be traded.

He is not quite the athletic marvel he was when he claimed back-to-back Slam Dunk Contest championships in 2015 and 2016, but he still ranks among the NBA’s elite athletes. He remains a high flyer, a blur in transition and a strong finisher at the rim.

But his shooting ability is what will allow him to age gracefully. He’s shooting 44.7 percent on 2.6 catch-and-shoot 3s per game this season. If that holds, it will be the seventh time in his career that he’s shot 42 percent or better on at least two catch-and-shoot 3-pointers per game.

LaVine became the Bulls’ all-time leader in 3-pointers made this season, passing Kirk Hinrich. With 10,056 points, LaVine finished his Bulls tenure sixth on the franchise’s all-time scoring list, between Jerry Sloan and Chet Walker. — Darnell Mayberry, senior NBA writer

How LaVine will fit in Sacramento

LaVine joins the Kings in the midst of a career season, averaging 24 points per game on 51 percent shooting and nearly 45 percent from 3. He doesn’t provide as much playmaking or straight line transition speed as Fox, but should give the Kings’ offense an equally potent jolt in a different way.

Sacramento enters the week with the league’s seventh-best offense (115.2 rating). They traded away their point guard, but have Malik Monk and Domantas Sabonis to control much of the offense while LaVine and his former Bulls teammate, DeMar DeRozan, can operate as scorers and play-finishers around them. Keegan Murray is still there to stretch the floor. This team should score a bunch of points.

How will they get stops? That’s the greater concern. Fox was a high steals disrupter and at least a capable perimeter piece of what was otherwise a shaky defense. LaVine is worse on that end and now the 17th-ranked defense in the NBA looks even more vulnerable. — Anthony Slater, senior writer

(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)