How NBA experts grade the Sacramento Kings trade of De’Aaron Fox for Zach LaVine
The dust has settled following the Sacramento Kings’ trade of their franchise player.
De’Aaron Fox is officially a San Antonio Spur while Zach LaVine will be making his debut with the Kings on Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic at Golden 1 Center.
The polarizing trade has garnered many different opinions throughout the world of basketball observers. The trade has potential benefits and pitfalls and will undoubtedly make the Kings an interesting team to follow in the coming months and years.
A quick recap of the three-team trade:
Kings receive: Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, 2025 first-round pick (via Charlotte, top 14 protected), 2027 first-round picks (via San Antonio, unprotected), 2031 first-round pick (via Minnesota, unprotected) and three second-round picks (2025, 2028 and 2028).
Spurs receive: De’Aaron Fox and Jordan McLaughlin.
Bulls receive: Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter and afirst-round pick (their own, 2025).
Here’s how pundits, writers and analysts around the NBA coverage sphere graded the trade for Sacramento.
ESPN gives the Kings a B-
Analyst Kevin Pelton said the Kings have potential to be more efficient on offense with LaVine taking over for Fox as a primary scorer.
“Dare we consider the possibility the Kings will actually improve the rest of this season thanks to this trade?” Pelton wrote. “Fox and LaVine have rated similarly in most all-in-one stats this season, and Fox’s play has been uneven over the 10 games since he returned from a brief absence because of a glute contusion in early January.
“In that span, Fox’s usage rate has dipped to 23% of Sacramento’s offense — down from 29% before the injury — and he’s hitting just 44% of his 2-point attempts while also dealing with a sprain to his non-shooting right thumb. It’s probably just a slump, but it’s worrisome in the short term.
“To some degree, LaVine’s high-volume 3-point shooting (7.3 attempts per game at a 45% clip this season, up from 39% for his career) could be a better fit for a Kings starting five featuring two low-volume 3-point shooters in DeMar DeRozan (2.7 attempts per game) and Domantas Sabonis (2.4 per game, though making 47% of them).”
Bleacher Report gives the Kings a D
Writer Dan Favale was clearly not a fan of the process for Sacramento.
“The optics of the Kings reuniting LaVine and DeMar DeRozan while forfeiting their franchise centerpiece in the process is equal parts hilarious, bizarre and, for Kings fans, incredibly frustrating,” Favale wrote.
“Make no mistake, LaVine’s rim pressure, spot-up touch and off-the-dribble jump-shooting will be an excellent fit alongside DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis and the rest of the roster. Sacramento’s playmaking takes a hit without Fox, but DeRozan, Sabonis and Malik Monk can all bridge the gap.
“Whether that holds true in the postseason — or, more likely, the play-in — is up for debate. DeRozan’s efficiency has generally cratered against playoff defenses, and Monk, for all his improvement, is not someone who’s needed to shepherd the offense through high-leverage moments against set defenses.
“There will also be a defensive drop-off going from Fox to LaVine. Heavy lifts for Keon Ellis and Keegan Murray just got heavier.
“... Prioritizing immediate results also contributes to Sacramento receiving maaaybe one premium asset attached to LaVine. The Kings did not get any of the Spurs’ youngsters. They didn’t get their 2031 swap back. They couldn’t even get San Antonio’s pick this year.”
The Athletic also doles out a B- to Sacramento
Staff writer Zach Harper pointed out that the three first-round draft picks the Kings received from the Spurs might not all be first-round picks.
“The 2025 first from the Charlotte Hornets is top-14 protected,” wrote Harper. “Then, it becomes two second-round picks in 2026 and 2027. Unless the team with the fourth-worst record in the NBA goes on a big second-half run this season, I’m guessing that 2025 first-rounder won’t go to the Kings. I’ll assume the 2027 first from San Antonio isn’t a lottery pick, but you can still find value in the second half of the first round. But by then, Wembanyama will be 23 and potentially completing an MVP season. The 2031 first-rounder from Minnesota is interesting because you never know what the Wolves might end up being in 2031.
“Of course, the highly coveted future pick the Wolves owed the LA Clippers forever was supposed to be one of the best assets in the NBA when they received it with Sam Cassell for Marko Jarić in 2005. It ended up conveying in 2012 and resulting in Austin Rivers (10th overall) — seriously. But that pick should be something the Kings can leverage, along with the second-round selections in some trade flotsam down the road.”
CBS Sports, another D for the Kings
Add Sam Quinn to the list of Sacramento skeptics after making this trade.
“In fairness to the Kings, Fox put them a difficult position,” Quinn wrote. “The whole league knew he wanted to go to San Antonio. That limited the offers other teams were willing to make. Getting fair value back for Fox may not have been plausible. Fine.
“But, Kings, what are we doing here? What’s the actual goal? Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan played parts of three seasons together in Chicago. The Bulls went 81-75 with both on the court. That’s a bit less than a 43-win pace over a full season. Yes, I understand that 43 wins would be the third-best Kings season since 2006, but that doesn’t make it something to aspire towards.
“Sacramento would likely argue that just pairing LaVine and DeRozan together does not mean they are recreating those mediocre Bulls teams. I suppose there are a few cosmetic differences. Domantas Sabonis is younger and better than Nikola Vucevic. They are extremely similar players stylistically. Keon Ellis is a not quite Alex Caruso. The Bulls didn’t have a Keegan Murray. The Kings don’t have a Lonzo Ball, who was secretly perhaps the most important player to Chicago’s early success with that roster. From a talent perspective, the rosters are eerily similar.”
Yahoo! Sports loves it for Sacramento
Morten Stig Jensen is high on the deal for Sacramento, noting the Kings were in a tough spot with Fox having one known preferred destination in San Antonio. He gave the trade an A.
“As we move on to Sacramento, it’s important to note context here,” Jensen wrote. “The Kings got the second-best player in the trade — LaVine — who has grown to be incredibly underrated in recent years.
“LaVine was a frequent name linked to the Kings, until they made a move for another Bull — DeMar DeRozan — last offseason.
“The LaVine idea made more sense with Fox on the team. And given that LaVine often struggled next to DeRozan in Chicago, there will be once again some kinks to iron out.
“Having said that, the Kings also received a haul of draft compensation, meaning the collective return is pretty good. Acquiring a super-efficient, 24-point scorer, as well as numerous draft selections for the coming years, is a win in its own right, especially as their backs were against the wall in the Fox situation.
Sporting News optimistic about the trade for the Kings
Stephen Noh noted LaVine’s cost is high, but he’s proven more deserving of his salary given the efficiency behind his scoring. He gave the Kings a B+.
“LaVine is having a tremendous year, shooting 51.1 percent from the field and 44.6 percent from 3.” Noh wrote. “Nobody doubts that he is a great player. The issue is his $43 million salary makes him slightly overpaid. That problem was mitigated by forcing the Bulls to take on Zach Collins’ two-year, $34.8 million contract that’s an albatross in and of itself.
“Salary aside, LaVine should be a good fit for the Kings. They’ve needed more 3-point shooting, and they’ve been at their best when playing up-tempo. He can provide both of those things. There is a familiarity with DeMar DeRozan from their shared time on the Bulls, and those two did help author the best team in the Eastern Conference for half a season in 2022 before injuries crashed them back down to Earth.
“The picks here are the most interesting component for Sacramento. Three first-round picks sound amazing — until you start to break it down more closely.”
Noh said the Kings’ draft pick haul ”totals out to one mediocre first-round pick, one wild-card first-round pick, one good second-rounder, and four wild-card second-rounders.
“That’s still a pretty decent haul for a player in Fox who is right on the fringe of making the All-Star game every year but not solidly a top-25 player.”
