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NBA ANALYSIS: Spurs Trade for Fox, LaVine to the Kings

I feel like the 2025 NBA trade season is unfolding a trilogy right before our very eyes. If the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade was “Fellowship of the Ring”—interpret that however you want to—the trade announced Monday morning (Manila time) might as well be “The Two Towers.”

Now showing: De’Aaron Fox heads to the San Antonio Spurs in a three-team deal that also sends Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings. The names involved in this trade read like a Tolkien genealogy, so I’ll let good ol’ Shams break it down:

Here’s my take on each of the three teams involved in this deal and how it impacts the NBA:

San Antonio Spurs: Slowly but surely, the venerated Spurs front office is assembling a talented roster around Victor Wembanyama, in order to become consistent playoff contenders once more. Fox and Wemby (sounds like a children’s show, to be honest) would be a dynamic scoring duo that can hurt opponents from all across the perimeter. It cost them some draft capital, sure, but Fox is an established talent that Gregg Popovich would be happy with.

Sacramento Kings: Despite the arrival of LaVine and a haul of draft picks, I hardly think that this deal was a needle mover for the Kings. While LaVine (24.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.5 apg) is a two-time All-Star, he isn’t exactly a franchise player that can propel Sacramento to a drastic ascent in the standings. At the very least, their newly acquired draft picks (three first-rounders, three second-rounders) give them flexibility in further trade negotiations. Plus, the 2025 pick they got via Charlotte is shaping up to be a high lottery selection.

Chicago Bulls: The role players that they got in this deal—Zach Collins, Tre Jones, and Kevin Huerter—will either remain shocktroopers or be shipped elsewhere as trade pieces once again. Among these three teams, the hapless Bulls (21-28, 10th in the Eastern Conference) progressed the least via this trade.

The Fox-Wembanyama is an attraction worth watching, that’s for sure. But, with all due respect to the gentlemen in Sacramento, we all know that everyone’s waiting for “Return of the King” with bated breath. 

Lights, camera, action, Mr. Riley?