One of the Gooden State Warriors biggest trade targets is now off the board, with ESPN’s Shams Charania reporting that the Sacramento Kings have agreed on a deal to send star guard De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs in a multi-team trade that sends Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine to the Kings.
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As the NBA trade market heats up in anticipation of the upcoming trade deadline, this move has massive implications for the Warriors ability to acquire talent to improve their roster.
Fox is averaging 25 points, five rebounds and 6.1 assists this season. He will be a major acquisition for a young Spurs team who are looking to build around star center Victor Wembanyama.
Lavine, meanwhile, is having one of the best seasons of his career, averaging 24 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists for the Bulls. The Kings, in the wake of the deal, will be shifting the focal point of their offense to the frontcourt and undergoing a slight downgrade in their team's playmaking ability while adding a bona-fide three-level scorer.
The Warriors, who have reportedly floated the possibility of trading a protected first-round pick for the right player, now have no chance of acquiring either Fox or Lavine. They had recently shown interest in LaVine prior to this trade.
Full trade:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 3, 2025
Spurs: De'Aaron Fox, Jordan McLaughlin
Kings: Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, three first round picks (2025 CHA, 2027 SAS, 2031 MIN), three second round picks (2025 CHI, 2028 DEN, 2028 own back)
Bulls: Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, their own 2025 pick via SAS https://t.co/UgwylCUYAO
Golden State have wrestled with their starting shooting guard position ever since De'Anthony Melton went down with a season-ending ACL injury early in the season. The likes of Buddy Hield, Lindy Waters III, Gary Payton II, Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody haven't been able to get the job done, while Dennis Schroder's arrival in mid-December has resulted in him being moved back to the bench.
Acquiring LaVine would have eliminated Golden State's shooting guard issue, while simultaneously providing the franchise with another go-to scorer that they're desperately craving. A Curry-LaVine back court may have provided some defensive concerns, but the offensive fit likely would have been seamless given LaVine's ability to play on and off the ball as a scorching 44.6% 3-point shooter so far this season.
We've now seen two blockbuster trades in the past 24 hours involving four All-Star calibre players, yet the Warriors -- who have been viewed by many as the team in the most pressing need of a star -- have thus far stood pat and watched arguably their best option in LaVine head to a direct pacific rival instead.