Report: Fox going to Spurs, LaVine to Kings in three-team swap

De’Aaron Fox‘s time in Sacramento appears to be up.

The Kings are finalizing a deal to send Fox to the San Antonio Spurs in a three-team transaction that will see Chicago Bulls wing Zach LaVine head to Sacramento, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Sunday.

Along with Fox, the Spurs will also acquire guard Jordan McLaughlin.

The Kings, meanwhile, will reunite former Bulls teammates LaVine and DeMar DeRozan while also adding forward Sidy Cissoko from the Spurs, three first-round picks (2025 top-14 protected from Charlotte, 2027 unprotected from San Antonio, 2031 unprotected from Minnesota) and three second-round picks (2025 from Chicago, 2028 from Denver, 2028 from Sacramento).

Lastly, by facilitating the deal and shipping off LaVine, the Bulls received centre Zach Collins and guard Tre Jones from the Spurs, wing Kevin Huerter from the Kings and their own 2025 first-round pick back from San Antonio.

The biggest ramification from the deal, however, comes with the new superstar pairing of Fox and Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama.

Fox was still under contract for the rest of this season and next, but after rejecting a three-year extension offer in the summer, his days in Sacramento were numbered.

He later explained that his decision not to re-commit was so he could evaluate the team’s standing in a competitive Western Conference first. And according to reports from The Athletic and ESPN, the 27-year-old came to his conclusion shortly after as he informed the Kings (through agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports) that he no longer intends on sticking around long-term so trading him now may be best for all parties.

According to reports from NBA insiders, Fox’s preferred destination in a trade was the Spurs so that he could partner with Wembanyama as the second-year superstar continues his meteoric rise in the league. The French centre is averaging 24.6 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and a league-leading 4.0 blocks over his 40 games this season and was named an All-Star for the first time earlier this week.

Additionally, with Fox’s eventual contract negotiation drawing close, the Spurs project to have ample cap room to sign the guard to a new deal. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Fox is permitted to renegotiate his salary from $37.1 million to $46.4 million six months after the trade. He is also able to sign a four-year, $229 million extension which would kick in ahead of the 2026-27 season.

The Kings opened their phone lines for trade talks on Jan. 28 in hopes of recouping some value for the dynamic guard. Through 45 games with the Kings this year, Fox is averaging 25.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.5 steals in 37.0 minutes a night. He made the All-NBA third team two years ago when he also took home the inaugural Clutch Player of the Year award.

The Kentucky product was originally drafted by the Sacramento fifth overall in 2017 and now gets set to join just his second team through his eight-year NBA career. Through 514 games in the league, all with the Kings, he holds averages of 21.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.4 steals. He leaves the franchise ranked second in total steals, fourth in points and fifth in field goals.

The Kings were reportedly interested in younger pieces from the Spurs, rookie Stephon Castle in particular, who the team reportedly declared as untouchable. The Spurs managed to get the deal done without letting go of any of their young and promising pieces other than Frenchman Cissoko. Instead, they parted with cap-filling roleplayers like Collins and Jones, neither of whom is averaging more than five points per game this season.

In addition to their young core, the Spurs have numerous assets left in the form of draft capital should they want to make additional moves to push for a playoff spot in Wembanyama’s second year in the league.

According to an earlier report from Charania, while the Kings were interested in Castle, they also coveted “win-now” pieces in any return deal for Fox. They acquired just that in LaVine.

After an injury-riddled down year in 2023-24, playing just 25 games and averaging 19.5 points per game (his lowest since 2017-18), LaVine has regained his form this season and is averaging 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists on 51.1-per-cent shooting from the field and 44.6 per cent from three-point range in 42 games this season.

LaVine, a two-time All-Star, has spent the last eight years of his career with the Bulls after being traded by the Timberwolves in the summer of 2017 in a deal that landed them Jimmy Butler. Minnesota originally drafted the 29-year-old 13th overall in 2014.

Despite his strong stats, LaVine also comes at a hefty price, not only in the fact that the Kings had to ship off Fox. The 29-year-old is in year three of a five-year, $215-million contract. He is on the books for $45.9 million next season and has a player option for $48.9 million in 2026-27.

The Kings are currently 24-24 and are 10th in the Western Conference. After a strong start to interim coach Doug Christie’s tenure that saw them go 10-1, they’ve gone 1-4 in their last five games.

The Bulls’ return players and picks don’t stand out in a big way compared to their two partners in this exchange. However, they managed to recoup their 2025 first-rounder back from San Antonio, allowing them to tank and make a run for a top pick in this year’s draft. They currently sit at 21-29 and are 10th in the Eastern Conference.

They did manage to acquire Huerter, who has averaged 11.5 points in his career, first with Atlanta and then with the Kings. He’ll also benefit from a fresh start after coming off the bench 28 times in 43 appearances with Sacramento this season.

Collins averaged 4.6 points for the Spurs, Jones averaged 4.4 points and Cissoko 1.3 points in 17 appearances with San Antonio. McLaughlin averaged 1.9 points in 28 games for the Kings.

The Spurs and Kings will go head to head one more time this season as Fox, donning his new garb, will return to Sacramento on March 7. Meanwhile, the Bulls are slated to take on LaVine when they head to the California capital on March 20.

The NBA’s trade deadline is Thursday afternoon.

— With files from the Associated Press

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