‘My best friend’: Sacramento Kings react as trade sends De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio Spurs
Malik Monk didn’t just lose a teammate when the Kings sent De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday in a three-team trade to acquire Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls.
He lost his best friend.
Fox played a key role in bringing his childhood friend and former Kentucky teammate to Sacramento when Monk signed a free-agent deal with the Kings in the summer of 2022. Now, Fox is gone and Monk is taking over as the team’s starting point guard.
“My best friend, college teammate, college roommate,” Monk said as the Kings prepared to play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday at Target Center in Minneapolis. “To play together in the NBA, I don’t think many players get to experience that. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it to the fullest.”
Fox was traded less than six weeks after former coach Mike Brown was fired Dec. 27. The Kings won 10 of their first 12 games under interim coach Doug Christie, but they lost four of their first five on a six-game road trip with trade rumors swirling around Fox.
“It’s been a crazy year, a lot of change,” Kings center Domantas Sabonis said. “It sucks, but we’ve just got to somehow come together, be professional and keep this thing moving forward.”
The Kings reacted with a range of emotions after Fox was traded to San Antonio. The Kings acquired LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, three first-round draft picks and three second-round picks in a deal that sent Fox and Jordan McLaughlin to San Antonio with Kevin Huerter going to Chicago.
LaVine was not with the team in Minnesota. A league source told The Sacramento Bee he is expected to make his Kings debut when the Kings play the Orlando Magic on Wednesday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Kings general manager Monte McNair thanked Fox, Huerter and McLaughlin for their services while welcoming LaVine to Sacramento when the trade was officially announced Monday.
“De’Aaron has played a pivotal role with our franchise, and we are deeply grateful for everything he did to support the organization on and off the court,” McNair said in a news release. “We appreciate Kevin’s many contributions to the team, especially as a key member of the 2023 playoff team. We also thank Jordan for his hard work and commitment during his time with the Kings.
“As we look to the future, I am excited to welcome Zach to Sacramento. He is a gifted scorer, and his athleticism will make an impact on both ends of the floor. We also look forward to Sidy joining the Kings.”
Christie offered his thoughts on Fox before Monday’s game.
“Super big time,” Christie said. “Ever since the first time I saw him play, I was a big-time fan, and this doesn’t change anything as far as always rooting for him.”
Kings guard Keon Ellis seemed to be in a state of disbelief.
“I don’t even know how to feel, honestly, because this is the first time something like this happened while I’m on the team,” Ellis said. “It’s still kind of crazy to me how it all works, but we know that’s a part of basketball. We can’t really let that shift our focus too much because at the end of the day, we’ve still got to play a game.”
This story was originally published February 3, 2025 at 5:15 PM.
