By All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox is on the verge of joining the San Antonio Spurs as part of a three-team deal which will see the Chicago Bulls’ Zach LaVine sign with the Sacramento Kings, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Through a complex deal which involves multiple players and draft picks, the Spurs are set to pair Fox with 2024 Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, who is continuing his ascent towards stardom and is due to make his All-Star debut on February 16.
Fox – averaging 25.0 points, 6.1 assists and 5.0 rebounds this season – is ranked fourth on the Kings’ all-time scoring list having been selected by Sacramento with the fifth overall pick in 2017. He will likely be relishing the opportunity to play alongside Wembanyama, who is averaging 24.6 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 2024-25.
Fox had reportedly been unwilling to commit his long-term future to the Kings, who, in acquiring LaVine, will reunite the 29-year-old with his former Bulls teammate DeMar DeRozan.
LaVine has enjoyed a resurgence this season and is currently averaging 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists. The Kings will hope that he, alongside DeRozan and three-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis, can propel Sacramento to its second playoff appearance in 19 seasons. The team is currently 24-24 and 10th in the Western Conference.
News of the trade comes shortly after the stunning revelation that Luka Dončić is joining the Los Angeles Lakers from the Dallas Mavericks, with big man Anthony Davis moving in the opposite direction.
Fox and LaVine will join Dončić and Davis as the four players averaging at least 20 points who have been traded before the deadline this season, the most in NBA history according to ESPN.
The deal will also see five other players make moves, as well as seven draft picks change hands.
Alongside Fox, the Spurs will also acquire fellow Kings guard Jordan McLaughlin.
In addition to LaVine, the Kings get Spurs guard Sidy Cissoko, three first-round picks (from the Charlotte Hornets in 2025, the Spurs in 2027 and the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2031) and three second-round picks (from the Bulls in 2025, the Nuggets in 2028, and their own pick back from the Bulls in 2028).
As well as their own pick back from the Spurs in 2025, the Bulls bring in three players: Spurs forward Zach Collins, Spurs guard Tre Jones and Kings guard Kevin Huerter.
