How does Sacramento Kings’ Fox-LaVine trade compare to biggest in team history? See 10 deals
The Sacramento Kings finalized one of the biggest trades in franchise history on Sunday, sending superstar point guard De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs in a three-team deal.
Sacramento acquired two-time All-Star Chicago Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine and Spurs guard Sidy Cissoko in the swap, plus three first-round picks and three second-round picks. The Kings are sending forward Kevin Huerter to the Bulls and point guard Jordan McLaughlin to the Spurs.
The Kings drafted Fox with the No. 5 pick of the 2017 NBA Draft when he was 19 years old.
Fox played for eight seasons wearing purple and black, becoming an All Star and All-NBA caliber player and helping Sacramento end a 16-year playoff skid.
Fox averaged 21.5 points, 6.1 assists on 47% shooting in his career with the Kings.
However, Sacramento wasn’t done dealing players before the NBA’s Thursday trade deadline.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Kings traded away Cissoko and two second-round picks to the Washington Wizards for center Jonas Valanciunas, The Bee confirmed.
Just minutes before Thursday’s noon deadline, the Kings traded center Alex Len, guard Colby Jones and a second-round draft pick, a league source told The Sacramento Bee, as part of a multi-team trade to acquire forward Jake LaRavia from the Memphis Grizzlies.
Where do the deals rank among other notable trades in the NBA franchise’s 40-year history in Sacramento?
Here are some of the biggest — and in some cases, shocking — trades the Kings have made since moving to Sacramento in 1985.
Mitch Richmond joins Sacramento Kings in trade
Shooting guard Mitch Richmond joined the Kings in November 1991 via a trade with the Golden State Warriors that sent the Kings’ No. 3 pick in the 1991 NBA draft, Billy Owens, to the Bay Area in exchange for Richmond, Les Jepsen and a 1995 second-round draft pick.
Richmond was one-third of the Golden State Warriors’ big three with Tim Hardaway and Chris Mullin, affectionately known as “Run TMC.” Although Richmond was initially not interested in playing in Sacramento but it was with the Kings where he took his career to the next level.
In seven seasons with the Kings, Richmond averaged 23.3 points per game and was named an All-Star each season from 1993 to 1998.
Richmond was named All-Star game MVP in 1995 and became a Olympic gold medalist in 1996 as a part of the Team USA men’s basketball team.
Richmond’s No. 2 jersey was eventually retired by the Kings and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.
“I got traded and I was devastated,” Richmond said during his Hall of Fame induction ceremony. “My new home in Sacramento was 82 miles north, yet it seemed more like a million miles away. It turned out to be a great seven-year run with the Kings. It’s a place where I played some of my best basketball and the Kings fans, well, they simply are the best.”
Richmond was later traded from the Kings in 1998 for another key player that would help continue the trajectory the Kings were on.
How Chris Webber signed with the Kings
Power forward Chris Webber made his way to Sacramento in May 1998 in a trade that shipped Richmond and Otis Thorpe to the Wizards.
Like Richmond, Webber wasn’t too thrilled to leave his previous situation for Sacramento, but things quickly changed once he stepped on the floor in those black and purple threads.
“By God’s grace, I ended up right where I belonged,” Webber said on his website about playing for the Kings. “My career wouldn’t be as fulfilled if it wasn’t for Sacramento. Sacramento and I needed each other.”
In six seasons with the Kings, Webber averaged 23.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 377 games with Sacramento.
He was a key part of a Kings team that was dubbed “The Greatest Show on Court” in 2000 by Sports Illustrated, making an appearance on the magazine’s cover.
Webber helped lead the Kings to playoffs each year, including a Western Conference Finals run against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2002, a series which later proved to be a part of an officiating scandal. The Kings lost that series in seven games.
Webber was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021 and his No. 4 jersey was retired by the Kings.
Jason Williams swapped for Mike Bibby
Point guard Jason Williams, nicknamed “J-Will” and “White Chocolate,” earned acclaim for his fusion of streetball skills and abilities on the basketball court — from flashy, no-look passes to quick hesitation crossover dribbles.
Williams, drafted by the Kings in 1998 with the No. 7 pick, electrified Sacramento fans for three seasons averaging 11.3 points, 6.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 208 games. He helped the team reach the playoffs each year.
Williams was traded in June 2001 to the Memphis Grizzlies, along with Nick Anderson.
In return the Kings received point guards Mike Bibby and Brent Price.
“It sucked at first, because I didn’t really want to leave Sacramento,” Williams said during a live episode recording of “All the Smoke” podcast in 2023 at Urban Roots Brewery and Smokehouse in Sacramento. “But shout out to Bibby and the Kings. They got better when they got rid of me, as a team .. They had a better chance of being the Lakers with Bibby, just the way he played.”
Bibby helped lead the team to a playoff berth each season between 2001 and 2006, including the Western Conference Finals run in 2002.
During his tenure with his Kings, Bibby averaged 17.6 points, 5.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 476 games.
When Bibby joined the Kings, “I didn’t know how the team would react. I didn’t know how the fans would react to me coming replacing a fan favorite and a team favorite,” he said in a sitdown interview with NBC Sports California. “I didn’t know how they would accept me.”
However, Bibby became a draw at Arco Arena, then the home of the Kings.
“That’s what made it so easy for me,” Bibby said. “The team, they act like I was here for my whole career. The fans cheered me on, it was a great transition from that to this. ... Coming in, I didn’t really have to do much. All the guys were great players already, (it was) a great team already. I just had to come in and try to kind of fit in.”
Doug Christie joins Kings as player, head coach
The Kings brought shooting guard Doug Christie, who was known as a gritty, tenacious defender, into the mix in August 2000.
Christie was traded from the Toronto Raptors for Corliss Williamson, the Kings’ 1995 first-round draft pick.
Christie brought a certain ferocity to Sacramento, contributing to the franchise’s turnaround and consecutive playoff appearances.
Christie averaged 10.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and two steals in 355 games suiting up for the Kings. He was named to the All-Defensive team selection four times in his career, all with the Kings.
During a 2002 preseason game, Christie memorably sent a boxer’s uppercut to Los Angeles Lakers forward Rick Fox after he elbowed Christie in the face.
Christie was traded to the Orlando Magic in 2005 for Cuttino Mobley and Michael Bradley.
In his post-playing days, Christie rejoined the Kings organization as a color commentator in 2018. He went from the booth to the sideline in 2021, becoming an assistant coach.
Christie took over as head coach of the Kings in December, after the team parted ways with former coach Mike Brown.
Christie, who’s 12-6 in 18 games as interim head coach, hopes to get Sacramento back into regular playoff contention.
“This is the best league in the world,” Christie told The Bee. “Through our organization, I am blessed to be a head coach of a team in the NBA, and a team I love passionately. There’s no bigger opportunity for me.”
How Brad Miller came to Sacramento
Although it may not have been as captivating of a trade as those in previous years, the Kings acquired center Brad Miller in a multi-team deal in July 2003.
Miller was sent to Sacramento in a sign-and-trade deal with the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Scot Pollard. The Kings’ Hedo Turkoglu was shipped to the Spurs, along with the Pacers’ Ron Mercer, while San Antonio traded Danny Ferry to Indiana.
For Sacramento, Miller averaged 13.3 points, 8.6 rebounds on 48% field goal shooting in 385 games.
Miller was named an All-Star for the Kings in 2003 and 2004.
“Everyone got along so well. It was just such a fun time to play (in Sacramento),” Miller said on the Deuce and Mo podcast in 2023. “Practices were fun, and just goofing off with everybody was fun, but everyone took it seriously when it was time. Everyone was very high in basketball IQ, too. So that makes it a lot easier.”
Peja Stojakovic shipped after 8 seasons
Small forward Peja Stojakovic was a first-round pick, selected No. 14 by the Kings in the 1996 NBA draft. However, he didn’t arrive in Sacramento until 1998 after fulfilling his contract in Greece.
Stojakovic emerged as one of Sacramento’s best shooters in 2000, becoming a three-time All-Star with the Kings.
In eight seasons with Sacramento, Stojakovic played 518 games and averaged 18.3 points on 46% field goal shooting, 39% three-point shooting and 89% from the free throw line.
“It was definitely the best years of my NBA career with Sacramento,” Stojakovic said in an October interview on the Knuckleheads podcast.
Stojakovic was traded to the Pacers for Ron Artest before the trade deadline during the 2005-06 season in January.
The Kings, who were 12th in the Western Conference at the time of the trade, ended up making the playoffs that year as the No. 8 seed. It was the last playoff appearance for the organization until 2023.
Stojakovic’s No. 16 jersey was retired by the Kings in 2014.
Isaiah Thomas traded to Phoenix Suns
Isaiah Thomas was the last pick in the 2011 NBA draft when he was selected 60th overall in the second round by the Kings — earning him the nickname “Mr. Irrelevant.”
Thomas, a 5-foot-9 guard, quickly became a fan favorite.
He finished his rookie campaign with an all-rookie team selection and high hopes for the future in Sacramento.
In three seasons with the Kings, Thomas averaged 15.3 points, 4.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 216 games.
By his final season in Sacramento in 2014, Thomas had earned the chance to be starting point guard, averaging 20.3 points and 6.3 assists on 45% shooting.
In July 2014, Thomas was traded to the Phoenix Suns in a sign-and-trade deal for the rights of Alex Oriakhi.
“I felt very disrespected,” Thomas told the Arizona Republic in 2014. “Every year it was somebody new. I felt I did a good enough job to show them I was a starting point guard or a guy who could play a big role with their team. But they thought differently.”
Thomas, traded to the Boston Celtics in 2015, became a Most Valuable Player candidate in 2016.
Averaging 28.9 points per game, he helped lead Boston to the Eastern Conference Finals.
All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins put on the block
DeMarcus Cousins was selected at No. 5 in the first round of the 2010 NBA draft by the Kings.
In his six seasons with Sacramento, Cousins posted an average of 21.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and three assists in 470 games. Despite never seeing the postseason with Sacramento, he remains one of the best centers to put on a Kings jersey.
Cousins, known as “Boogie,” recorded a career-high 56 points against the Charlotte Hornets on January 2016.
He was named an All-Star four times in his career — three times as a member of the Kings.
The Kings traded Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans in February 2017, seemingly during the All-Star game that year.
“My love for this city will never change,” Cousins said in 2017. “Even though I’m gone, it’ll still be the same. ... Every family in this city matters to me. Every soul in this city matters to me ... I’m just not in a Kings uniform anymore.”
Tyrese Haliburton swapped for Domantas Sabonis
When the Kings drafted Tyrese Haliburton out of Iowa State with the 12th pick of the first round in the 2020 NBA draft, Sacramento had found a gem.
Haliburton, a pure point guard with a pass-first mentality, quickly found his way in the NBA. He continued to make a name for himself with his play and earned himself a spot on the all-rookie selection team.
When Haliburton was making strides in his second year, coming off of then-career-highs in both points and assists in separate games, the Kings organization pulled the trigger.
Haliburton was traded, along with Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson, to the Pacers for All-Star Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and a 2023 second-round pick.
“I was distraught on that plane ride because I was still, like, in shock,” Haliburton said during a news conference following an NBA in-season tournament cup game in 2023. “I had to listen to Tristan and Buddy telling me how bad the Kings messed up the whole time. I was like, ‘Can you guys just shut up?’ ”
The trade proved to be sensible for the Kings as Sabonis helped the Kings advance to the postseason in 2023, breaking a 16-year playoff drought.
Kings fans glad DeMar DeRozan ‘came home’
In the summer of 2024, a sign-and-trade deal brought six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan to the Kings as part of a three-team deal with the Bulls and Spurs.
The move sent Harrison Barnes and an unprotected 2031 pick swap to the Spurs, with Chris Duarte, two second-round picks and cash going to the Bulls.
When the DeRozan signing was announced in July, Kings fans at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center greeted the center with a huge ovation as speakers throughout the arena played the song “Not Like Us” by Compton native Kendrick Lamar.
DeRozan, also a Compton native, makes a cameo in the “Not Like Us” music video
In the song, Lamar raps, “I’m glad DeRoz’ came home, y’all didn’t deserve him either.”
During an episode of Podcast P with Paul George in August, DeRozan said he wanted to sign with Sacramento because he was “looking for an opportunity to win at a high level.”
“Sac came about and they were showing interest, like real interest,” DeRozan said. “I just always remember the last couple years of always seeing them light this damn beam ... That’s definitely one thing you always want to be a part of is a contagious culture of an organization that want to win.”
Since joining the Kings, DeRozan has averaged 21.8 points on 48% field goal shooting.
That includes a 33-point performance in a 116-114 victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, the team’s first game after trading Fox.
What are other landmark Sacramento Kings trades?
Other memorable Sacramento Kings trades include:
- Wayman Tisdale (1989)
- Spud Webb (1991)
- Kevin Martin (2010)
- Tyreke Evans (2013)
- Rudy Gay (2013)
- Harrison Barnes (2019)
- Davion Mitchell (2024)
This story was originally published February 6, 2025 at 6:00 AM.