The Sacramento Kings are finalizing a trade to send De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs and acquire Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine as part of a three-team trade involving multiple draft picks, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Sunday.
The move gives San Antonio an All-Star guard to pair with young phenom Victor Wembanyama after Fox, who has one more year left on his deal after this season, had not shown a willingness to commit long term to Sacramento, leading to the Kings opening up trade talks for the franchise star in the past week.
In exchange for Fox, the Kings receive LaVine, in the midst of a career season at age 29; Spurs guard Sidy Cissoko; three first-round picks (Charlotte‘s in 2025, San Antonio’s in 2027 and Minnesota‘s in 2031); and three second-round picks (Chicago’s in 2025, Denver‘s in 2028 and a return of their own 2028 pick from Chicago).
The Bulls regained their 2025 first-round pick from San Antonio as well as three players: Zach Collins and Tre Jones from the Spurs, and Sacramento’s Kevin Huerter.
In addition to Fox, the Spurs receive Jordan McLaughlin, who averaged 1.9 points in 28 games for the Kings.
The Spurs made the deal for Fox happen without giving up much of their copious stash of draft picks or the keys to their young core — players such as rookie Stephon Castle, Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johnson. The Spurs also held on to veterans Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes, both of whom are in their first season with San Antonio.
Fox’s addition is huge for the Spurs. Wembanyama — the reigning rookie of the year — is continuing his climb toward superstardom. He’s set to make his All-Star Game debut later this month, is among the favorites to win defensive player of the year and will probably get MVP votes.
Fox, 27, is averaging just over 25 points per game to go along with five rebounds and 6.2 assists. He has played his entire eight-year career in Sacramento and ranks fourth in career points in franchise history. He helped the Kings snap a 16-year playoff drought in 2022-23, earning All-NBA honors that season.
Sacramento has been trying to return to the playoffs since that season but lost in the final play-in game last year and got off to a rocky start this season, leading to the firing of coach Mike Brown in December.
The move continues the momentum from Saturday night’s stunning blockbuster that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks as Thursday’s NBA trade deadline approaches.
According to ESPN Research, the trade centered around Fox and LaVine means that four players averaging 20 points per game have now been traded by the deadline, the most before any deadline in NBA history.
This is also the first time that three players who had scored at least 10,000 career points with their previous franchise (Doncic, LaVine, Fox) changed teams midseason in a single season in NBA history.
Chicago has been trying to trade LaVine for most of the past year as it attempts to rebuild around a younger team. The Bulls had made it a priority to keep the top-10-protected first-round pick they owed to the Spurs in this upcoming draft, sources told ESPN, and they also found a new home for LaVine, who has been enjoying a bounce-back season.
He is averaging 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 51.1% from the field and 44.6% from 3-point range, both career highs.
LaVine, who turns 30 next month, is owed $46 million next season and holds a $49 million player option for 2026-27.
LaVine was the longest-tenured member of the Bulls, having been traded to Chicago by Minnesota before the 2017-18 season in a deal that sent Jimmy Butler to the Timberwolves.
But after eight years, he is moving West to be reunited with another former teammate, Kings forward DeMar DeRozan, who played with LaVine on the Bulls for the past three seasons.
Huerter has averaged 11.5 points in his career, playing first with Atlanta and then with the Kings. He has come off the bench 28 times in 43 appearances with Sacramento this season.
Collins, a seventh-year veteran who signed a two-year, $35 million extension with San Antonio in 2023, is averaging 4.6 points. Jones entered the season as the Spurs’ primary backup at point guard behind Paul and averaged 4.4 points in 28 games. The emergence of rookie guard Castle played a role in Jones’ limited minutes.
Cissoko has played the majority of his first two seasons in the G League after being drafted 44th overall in 2023. He averaged 1.3 points in 17 appearances with San Antonio.
ESPN’s Michael C. Wright and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
