Just over a week after De’Aaron Fox told the Sacramento Kings that he would like to be traded, he now finds himself in his preferred destination. In a three-team trade that involves Zach LaVine going to the Kings, Fox joins Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, immediately increasing their potential. Fox spent the first eight years of his career in Sacramento, averaging 21.5 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 514 games.
The San Antonio Spurs' new All-Star point guard-center duo: De'Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama. pic.twitter.com/sYKxsZcsyD
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 3, 2025
San Antonio Get Fox And Keep Their Other Talent
Trading for an All-Star like Fox typically involves a team giving up some of their talented young talent or multiple picks. Instead, San Antonio keeps Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, and Jeremy Sochan, who’ve all progressed this season.
They also hold on to Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes, two veterans who have playoff experience and are the only players over 30 years old on the team. They did give up a few picks, but only one of the first-rounders going to the Kings was originally Sacromento’s, and they still have a decent stockpile of picks over the next few years.
The fact that the Spurs were able to keep a majority of their core together while adding a 25-point-per-game scorer is a job well done. With how quickly Wembanyama has evolved, they made the right move getting more talent, especially while he’s still on his rookie deal. After this season, Fox will be in the last year of a five-year $163 million contract. As San Antonio was his preferred spot to land, all signs point to him signing an extension with the Spurs sometime before the start of next season.
De’Aaron Fox heading to San Antonio to team up with Victor Wembanyama gives the Spurs a legitimate shot at the Playoffs this season!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) February 3, 2025
As a duo, Fox and Wembanyama will be one of the best pick-and-roll pairs in the league. Fox is quick and great at getting close shots in the paint, while Wembanyama is dangerous near the basket and doesn’t shy away from shooting threes.
Fox isn’t a great long-distance shooter, but with the spacing Wembanyama allows, the lane will be wide open for him to attack. Fox has also been one of the best fourth-quarter scorers since he entered the league, and that is something the Spurs desperately needed.
San Antonio has struggled recently, falling to 12th in the Western Conference standings and losing seven of their last ten games. Fox will no doubt revamp their offense and give them a player who can score at a very high rate. It will be the first time Wembanyama will play with someone averaging at least 20 points per game, giving them a chance to make a postseason run this season and in the future.

The Full Trade Involving Fox and LaVine
Announced on Sunday night, the full trade involves the Kings, Spurs, and Bulls. San Antonio gets Fox and Jordan McLaughlin as they add to their guard depth and give Wembanyama a proven star to pair with, hoping to maximize his potential.
Sacramento receives Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, three first-round picks, and three second-round picks in an excellent haul for trading away their central star. Chicago ends up with Zach Collins, Tre Jones, and Kevin Heurter and gets back their first-round pick as they move away from LaVine after he spent eight years with the team.
Thank you for everything @ZachLaVine ❤️ pic.twitter.com/0Vw6UUal2d
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 3, 2025
For Sacramento and Chicago, the move was expected, as after multiple efforts, the two couldn’t find postseason success led by their two-star players. LaVine will now rejoin DeMar DeRozan after the two played together in Chicago. Along with them and Domantas Sabonis, the Kings now have an experienced roster that they hope can turn things around.
They also have Malik Monk and Keegan Murray, but aside from those players rounding out their starting lineup, Sacramento doesn’t have a whole lot else in terms of solidified talent. The Kings record has floated around the .500 mark for most of the season, and even though Fox was having another great year, they didn’t have a roster that fit him well.
Adding LaVine doesn’t make them a top title favorite, but it allows them to figure out what direction they want to go in. For an aging team that just reloaded on picks, this current roster might only last until the end of the season. Of their new top three players, Sabonis will be the highest on the other team’s trade list, so they could get a haul for him and set themselves up even better.
— Domantas Sabonis (@Dsabonis11) February 4, 2025
The Bulls didn’t receive a big player in return, but they got out of LaVine’s hefty contract and got back their pick for this year’s draft. As they look again like they’ll miss out on the playoffs, that pick will be key in drafting a top prospect or making a deal to try to land Cooper Flagg. It has also been rumored that Chicago is looking at trade options for Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball, so LaVine leaving might be the first domino to fall for a team that wants a new start centered around Coby White.
End Of My De’Aaron Fox Trade Rant
Fox has proven that he’s a difference-maker on the court. This season, he is averaging 25 points, five rebounds, and six assists per game, and he’s put up similar numbers in the past few years. He had great individual seasons with the Kings, but they couldn’t get over the hump with him as their number-one option.
Now, with Wembanyama and the Spurs, Fox will step into a new role, playing alongside one of the brightest stars in the league. It looks like a great pairing that will maximize the player’s potential and hopefully lead to wins both now and in the playoffs. For the Kings and Bulls, they both say goodbye to their top scorers from the last five years.
It’s hard to say that each team’s moves will make them better, but it’s a fresh start for two franchises that desperately needed it. This trade doesn’t meet the massive levels of the one that sends Luka Doncic to the Lakers, but it is a big deal. While Wembanyama continues to get better and better, San Antonio just gave him a star-caliber player that they hope can turn them into a championship-ready team.