The San Antonio Spurs have emerged as clear frontrunners in the race to acquire De’Aaron Fox. The Sacramento Kings are looking for a new home to send Fox to as the player already has a destination in mind for free agency in 2026. That destination is believed to be the Spurs, so the franchise can acquire Fox 18 months earlier in a trade with the Kings.
The Kings are looking for a major haul to justify trading Fox with 18 months left on his contract. While the Spurs don’t have the win-now players to offer with a tight-knit youth core they want to keep intact, they do have draft assets. If the Chicago Bulls get involved, they could offer the Kings an elite win-now player while gaining assets out of it themselves as well.
Trade Details
San Antonio Spurs Receive: De’Aaron Fox ($34.8 million), Chris Duarte ($5.8 million)Â
Sacramento Kings Receive: Zach LaVine ($43.0 million), Torrey Craig ($2.8 million), Talen Horton-Tucker ($2.0 million), 2025 First-Round Pick (ATL), 2027 First-Round Pick (ATL), 2028 First-Round Pick Swap (BOS)
Chicago Bulls Receive:Â Harrison Barnes ($18.0 million), Kevin Huerter ($16.8 million), Zach Collins ($16.7 million), Malaki Branham ($3.2 million), 2025 First-Round Pick (CHI)Â
The Spurs pay a draft pick premium to avoid losing core players like Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, and Stephon Castle, sending one pick to the Bulls and three to the Kings in this deal. Zach LaVine is a former Kings target and would keep them on a winning trajectory even after Fox leaves, especially with win-now veterans like Talen Horton-Tucker and Torrey Craig.Â
The Spurs Get Ready To Push For A Title
Victor Wembanyama came into the NBA as arguably the greatest Draft prospect in NBA history. He’s somehow been living up to that billing, already impacting the league as arguably its best defensive player. The Spurs want to be patient with building out the core around him, but a move like this isn’t an overreaction, it’s just accelerating the inevitable.Â
De’Aaron Fox is averaging 25.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.2 assists this season. If he aims to join the Spurs in 2026 and the Spurs want him, they likely will sign him in free agency. However, they’d be incentivized to have him on the roster as soon as possible to start building chemistry with Wembanyama and the team’s young core.Â
They could play out this season and make a Play-In appearance before pushing for a title from next season onwards. They’ll have the chemistry while the young stars on the roster continue developing into even more impactful players. The outgoing picks do not belong to the Spurs themselves, so they maintain plenty of flexibility to continue making trades in the future.
The Kings Get A Major Consolation Prize
The logic behind the Kings fast-tracking a potential trade including De’Aaron Fox is to maximize the returning trade assets. If they wait until the summer or later into next season, their leverage will be non-existent as Fox will be months away from free agency. His availability has already led to a dozen offers being made, so the Kings are bound to get a big return regardless of where they send him.
The Spurs can ensure they get Fox now by getting the Bulls to send Sacramento Zach LaVine. LaVine is averaging 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists this season, likely keeping the Kings competitive if he joins. He’d be motivated to perform well as LaVine signed a free-agent contract with the Kings in 2016 which the Bulls matched to retain him. The former UCLA standout would thrive on the West Coast if he went back there.
Getting LaVine to continue winning now alongside Torrey Craig and Talen Horton-Tucker is major. Craig is averaging 6.9 points and 2.8 rebounds as a multi-positional frontcourt option while Horton-Tucker is averaging 5.9 points as a versatile swingman. These players along with three first-round picks are an incredible return for a player who already has one foot out of the door.
The Bulls Get A Return Once Thought Unthinkable
It’s important to remember that for the better part of the last 365 days, everyone has believed the Bulls will have to trade draft assets if they ever moved off Zach LaVine. LavVine’s contract pays him over $100 million from now until 2027, which is a sum people don’t like because of his injury history. But he’s having a great season and this is possibly the highest his value will be.
Instead of trading away an asset, the Bulls gain one in this trade. They also receive veterans like Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter who could move for additional assets. Barnes is averaging 11.8 points and 3.9 rebounds while Huerter is averaging 8.0 points. Zach Collins will also join Chicago, averaging 4.8 points and 2.9 rebounds this season.
Malaki Branham is a young star with a potentially high ceiling, so the Bulls will be excited to land him alongside the assortment of mid-range contracts the Spurs are sending. They’re all shorter contracts than the one LaVine is on, so the franchise will likely be satisfied with this deal.
All 3 Parties Get What They Need
This deal would be perfect for these three franchises in this situation. The Bulls want to move on from Zach LaVine but to a value that matches his playing ability. This deal gets them a pick instead of having to forfeit one to move off LaVine, which is a win in itself.
The Kings wanted draft assets and win-now players, both desires being fulfilled in this trade with talented win-now players from the Bulls alongside multiple first-round picks courtesy of the Spurs.
The Spurs land their star point guard just as he’s entering his prime. Wembanyama would love to see an intense guard like Fox leading the team as this deal would mark the official ascension of Wembanyama and Spurs among the contenders for an NBA title.Â
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