How good are players and draft picks the Sacramento Kings acquired in De’Aaron Fox trade?
The Kings made a blockbuster trade Sunday to acquire Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko and six draft picks in a deal that sent De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs.
Kevin Huerter was sent to the Chicago Bulls with Jordan McLaughlin joining Fox in San Antonio as part of a three-team deal. In exchange, the Kings received LaVine, Cissoko, three first-round picks and three second-round picks.
How good are the players and picks the Kings acquired in the trade? Let’s take a closer look.
LaVine is a two-time All-Star. At age 29, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard is having one of the best years of his career.
LaVine is averaging 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting career highs of 51.1% from the field and 44.6% from 3-point range on 7.3 attempts per game.
LaVine has been plagued by injuries at times during his career. He only appeared in 25 games after undergoing season-ending surgery on his right foot last season, but he appeared 42 of 50 games for the Bulls this season.
Cissoko, 20, is a native of France. The Spurs selected him with the 44th overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft. Cissoko is a 6-6, 200-pound guard/forward with a 6-9 ¾ wingspan.
Cissoko has had some nice moments in the G League, but he has played sparingly in the NBA. Cissoko has appeared in a total of 29 games over two seasons with the Spurs, averaging 2.3 points and 1.1 rebounds in 6.7 minutes per game.
Now let’s look at the draft picks Sacramento acquired in the trade.
The Kings received a 2025 first-round pick from the Charlotte Hornets, a 2027 first-round pick from the Spurs and a 2031 first-round pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Kings also received a second-round pick from Chicago in 2025, a second-round pick from the Denver Nuggets in 2028 and their own 2028 second-round pick, which had previously been traded to San Antonio.
The San Antonio pick will likely be a late first-rounder with Fox and Victor Wembanyama expected to lead the Spurs to the playoffs. The Minnesota pick is six years away, so there’s no telling how valuable it will be.
The first-round pick from Charlotte would be incredibly valuable since the Hornets are among the four worst teams in the NBA this season, but the pick is top-14 protected. Barring a miracle run to the playoffs, the Hornets will retain their pick and the Kings will instead receive Charlotte’s second-round picks in 2026 and 2027.
This story was originally published February 3, 2025 at 7:51 AM.
