Not even 24 hours after the massive deal that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks, we saw another huge move in the NBA. In a three-team trade, the San Antonio Spurs landed De’Aaron Fox and Jordan McLaughlin, the Sacramento Kings got Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko and six total draft picks and the Chicago Bulls received Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter and their own 2025 first-round pick back.
The Spurs are big winners here. San Antonio has been looking for an All-Star to pair with Victor Wembanyama, and Fox actually wanted to be there with him. In the end, the Spurs were able to add Fox without giving up promising rookie Stephon Castle, talented 24-year-old shooting guard Devin Vassell or jack-of-all-trades forward Jeremy Sochan. San Antonio should now have one of the best pick-and-roll duos in the league in Fox and Wembanyama. Fox is a top-10 pick-and-roll ball handler in the NBA, and Wembanyama is a top-10 pick-and-roll play finisher. The Spurs also have Chris Paul as an elite pick-and-roll initiator, so he’ll be able to spell Fox and make sure that San Antonio’s offense is always in good hands.
Much like with Oklahoma City Thunder teams in recent years, you’re going to hear some people preach patience with this new Spurs group. But don’t listen to them. The only thing standing in the way of San Antonio being a legitimate player in the Western Conference is the team’s current place in the standings. The Spurs are currently 12th in the conference, and they’re looking like a team that will need to fight for a Play-In Tournament spot and then battle their way into the eight-team playoffs. And even if they do get in, they’ll have a tough opening-round matchup. So, San Antonio is fighting a bit of an uphill battle this year. But the on-court product should immediately be outstanding, and nobody in the NBA will want to face this team in the postseason. Wembanyama is arguably a top-five player in the NBA already, Fox is going to be a tremendous fit as the team’s primary on-ball option and the team has an awesome collection of players filling out the rest of the starting five — along with some serviceable options off the bench.
Understandably, the Spurs are now taking a ton of action to make the playoffs at DraftKings Sportsbook, and they have moved from +700 to make the postseason to +400 since the deal. They have also gone from 250-1 to win the Western Conference to 80-1, and they also went from 600-1 to 200-1 to win the NBA title. The oddsmakers are giving San Antonio a healthy amount of respect, and there is public betting interest in backing this up-and-coming force of a franchise.
The next step for the Spurs will be finding a way to improve defensively. Fox is a player that has never been scared of taking on tough defensive assignments, but he definitely needs to be better at the point of attack. He can’t simply rest on his laurels knowing that one of the best rim protectors in league history is sitting behind him. San Antonio also has to find a way to unlock Vassell’s defense. He entered the league with a strong reputation as a perimeter defender, but he has turned into more of an offense-first player. But if Fox and Vassell can make some strides, the Spurs are going to be miserable to play against. Wembanyama, Sochan and Castle can all defend.
It would also be great to see Gregg Popovich back and healthy to coach this team. After what he has endured on and off the court over the last few years, he deserves some time on the sidelines with this exciting team.
It should also be noted that the Kings did rather well in this deal. I mentioned that they got six draft picks earlier instead of pointing out that they got three firsts and three seconds for a reason. That’s because one of the picks is a protected Hornets first that is highly unlikely to convey, and it will turn into a second-round pick if it lands in the Top 14. So, Sacramento more than likely netted two firsts and four seconds. However, considering Fox had one foot out the door, getting all those picks, shedding Huerter’s salary and bringing in LaVine was massive. It isn’t quite a home run, but it might be a triple.
A lot of people like to rip on LaVine because of his contract, but he is in the prime of his career and he’s averaging 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game this season. He’s also shooting 51.1% from the floor and 44.6% from 3. He’s a remarkable scorer and a deadeye 3-point shooter. So, while people might like to criticize him, he’s a borderline All-Star in this league.
Sacramento can now make a run at the postseason with a lineup of Malik Monk, LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis. Factoring in the improvements Monk has made as a playmaker, I’m not sure that’s worse than what they had before the deal. It also sounds like the Kings will continue to be active on the trade market.
Chicago is really the only team in the deal that doesn’t deserve any praise. It sure seems like the Bulls got a weak return for LaVine. The team might have had trouble moving him in the past, but his play this season should have been enough for them to get more than just their own pick back.
