De’Aaron Fox got his wish, and the San Antonio Spurs have an All-Star point guard to pair with Victor Wembanyama. The Sacramento Kings acquired a shooting guard who is having one of his best NBA seasons and the Chicago Bulls might just be headed toward a necessary tear down and rebuild.
Following the stunning blockbuster trade on Saturday that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks, the Spurs, Kings and Bulls executed a three-team trade that once again reshapes the power dynamics in the Western Conference.
Multiple players and draft picks were involved in the deal that also puts Zach LaVine in Sacramento, which acquires three first-round picks.
San Antonio Spurs: A
The Spurs are intent on maximizing the 21-year-old Wembanyama, who is one of the league’s best young players and could soon be a top-five player and annual MVP candidate. He is already one of the league’s best defenders and could win the first of many Defensive Player of the Year awards this season.
Getting Fox helps that process. He is an All-Star caliber point guard who averages 25 points, 6.1 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game this season. He is a two-way player and made the All-Star team in 2023.
San Antonio is 21-25 and in 12th place in the Western Conference — but it is just two games out of the final play-in spot. While the Spurs want to reach the postseason in 2025, this move is about the future, and all indications point to Fox re-signing with the Spurs. This is the beginning of a Wembanyama-Fox partnership. The Spurs haven’t reached the playoffs since 2019 and haven’t been beyond the first round since 2017. They last won a title in 2014. They believe this move, with Wembanyama’s growth and other additions, can make them a contender for the next decade.
Sacramento Kings: B+
Losing Fox stings, and the Kings were looking at replacements at point guard if they moved Fox in a deal. However, LaVine has been an efficient scorer this season and the Kings accumulated three beneficial first-round picks that they can use themselves or trade to make roster improvements. LaVine is having one of his best seasons, averaging 24 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game with career-highs in field goal percentage (.511) and 3-point percentage (.446).
Chicago Bulls: B
The Bulls need to start making decisions about their future. At 21-29, they are in 10th place in the East and in the final play-in spot. But it is not a team that is doing much beyond that. Unloading LaVine might just be the start of a rebuild and the correct decision for the franchise.
Could Nik Vucevic be moved next ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline? If the Bulls can get first-round picks, that’s another step on the long and sometimes painful path to competing for a deep run in the playoffs.
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