De’Aaron Fox traded to San Antonio: Fantasy fallout, ramifications for Spurs, Kings, and Bulls

With De’Aaron Fox appearing unlikely to sign a contract extension with the Kings, the franchise began seeking trade offers just weeks after firing head coach Mike Brown. The point guard reportedly hoped to land in San Antonio, joining forces with Victor Wembanyama. Fox got his wish Sunday evening, as he was traded to the Spurs as part of a three-team deal that includes Chicago.

San Antonio will receive Fox and backup point guard Jordan McLaughlin, while Sacramento gets Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, three first-round picks, and three second-round picks. In exchange for LaVine, Chicago receives Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, and their own 2025 first, sent to San Antonio in the DeMar DeRozan trade.

Let’s look at the fantasy impact of this trade for each team, beginning with the Spurs.

San Antonio receives: De’Aaron Fox, Jordan McLaughlin

The Spurs have their point guard of the future, as one would assume that this trade would not be made without the assurance that Fox will sign a contract extension this summer. The jet-quick point guard has been a valuable fantasy point guard this season, providing 3rd-round value in 8- and 9-cat formats. In 45 games, Fox has averaged 25.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.0 3-pointers in 37.0 minutes. A 46.9% shooter from the field, he’s connected on a career-best 82.9% of his free throws. If the latter percentage holds, this will be the first season of Fox’s career in which he’s shot at least 80% from the foul line.

Fox’s arrival in San Antonio should ramp up the pace offensively, as the Spurs are ranked 17th in the NBA in pace and 15th in offensive rating. Even with the need to get acclimated to new teammates and a new offensive system, Fox’s fantasy value should be fine, and there shouldn’t be a change for Victor Wembanyama, either. The question is whether or not playing faster will benefit the wings, most notably Devin Vassell and Stephon Castle. Vassell has been somewhat disappointing in fantasy basketball this season, as he’s been a 10th-round player in 8- and 9-cat formats. As for Castle, he’s a potential building block for San Antonio during the “Wemby Era,” and holding onto him in this trade is a positive. While the trade may not do much for his fantasy value in the short term, the rookie could eventually benefit.

Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johnson are in similar positions; neither has been a great fantasy option this season, but Fox entering the fray may help them increase their respective values. Another potential fantasy “winner” is Charles Bassey, due to the Spurs sending Zach Collins to Chicago. This won’t mean much on nights when Wembanyama is healthy. Still, Bassey will now have streaming value if the Spurs phenomenon misses time at any point for the rest of the season unless San Antonio decides to add another frontcourt player to the mix before the trade deadline.

As for a fantasy “loser” in San Antonio, look no further than Chris Paul. While the 39-year-old certainly wasn’t going to be the point guard of the future, he’s been a key player for the Spurs this season due to his leadership abilities. Also, CP3 has been close to a top-50 player in fantasy basketball, something few expected when he signed with San Antonio last offseason. While it isn’t impossible that interim coach Mitch Johnson would start Paul and Fox together, that idea seems a bit far-fetched, even with the ultimate rim protector in Wembanyama behind them. CP3 certainly isn’t a must-drop player, but his minutes and production should be watched closely once Fox joins the team. Lastly, McLaughlin was rarely in the Kings’ rotation, and that’s unlikely to change in San Antonio.

Sacramento receives: Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, three first-round picks, and three second-round picks

Before getting into the players, the Kings will receive six future draft picks. The first-rounders are Charlotte’s 2025 (lottery protected), San Antonio’s 2027, and Minnesota’s 2031. The second-round picks are Chicago’s 2025, Denver’s 2028, and the Kings’ own 2028, which was previously sent to Chicago.

Now, for the players. LaVine will reunite with DeMar DeRozan, as they were teammates for three seasons in Chicago before the latter joined the Kings last summer via sign-and-trade. Sacramento has been a top-10 team in pace and offensive rating this season, but that was with Fox running the show. A top-50 fantasy player in 8- and 9-cat formats, LaVine should continue to get his numbers with the Kings. However, his usage (27.2) may take a hit playing alongside DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis, and Malik Monk.

While they may get a little more time on the ball, one wouldn’t expect too much to change for DeRozan and Sabonis regarding fantasy value. The player to watch is Monk, who heads into the trade deadline week providing 5th-round fantasy value in 8- and 9-cat formats. No Fox means he’ll serve as the starting point guard, which may be good news for fantasy managers seeking increased assist production. Monk has averaged 5.9 assists per game this season; can he approach seven post-trade? However, there may not be much change for Keegan Murray, as the Kings have replaced their starting point guard with a high-volume scorer in LaVine. The third-year forward will have to do more as a rebounder and defender to boost his fantasy value.

Beyond the starters, rookie Devin Carter likely has added value in dynasty leagues. There may not be much room for him to emerge this season, but the first-round pick out of Providence now has a more straightforward path to fantasy relevance in the future. Keon Ellis may be asked to do more in the short term due to Sacramento’s perimeter depth taking a hit in this trade, but his dynasty value is not on par with Carter’s.

If there’s a loser, it may be the Kings’ front office. While the draft picks have the potential to help Sacramento make other moves before the deadline or during the offseason, did they insist on receiving one of San Antonio’s young talents (Vassell, Castle, Sochan, or even Johnson)? Former second-round pick Cissoko does not move the needle as any of those four players would have if the Kings could land them.

Chicago receives: Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, and the 2025 first they sent to Chicago in the DeRozan deal

The most significant developments for Chicago were getting LaVine’s contract off the books and getting back a first-round pick that may very well land in the lottery this spring. With LaVine being moved, the question is whether the Bulls will trade Nikola Vucevic ahead of the deadline. If so, the rebuild will indeed be “on” for a franchise that, in recent seasons, has made a habit of landing in the play-in tournament.

The fantasy winners in Chicago are the young perimeter players still in the rotation. Coby White, Josh Giddey, Lonzo Ball, and Ayo Dosunmu should all have more opportunities to shine offensively, and the same may be said for Patrick Williams. While his offensive production has been underwhelming for most of his career, the former lottery pick playing in a rotation that lacks DeRozan and LaVine could do wonders for his aggressiveness on that end of the floor. Another potential winner, especially after the trade deadline, is rookie Matas Buzelis. Used sparingly to begin the season, his minutes have picked up recently, and there should be more opportunities for Buzelis moving forward.

If Chicago trades Vucevic before the deadline, Jalen Smith can potentially be a fantasy “winner” at that point.

The newcomers aren’t in a great spot regarding fantasy value. Jones joins a roster loaded with young guards, some more established than others. Huerter, who has struggled since averaging a career-high 15.2 points per game during the 2022-23 season, needed a change of scenery after falling out of interim coach Doug Christie’s rotation. Will the move spark something in a player who’s shot a career-low 30.2% from three this season? Hopefully, it will, but Huerter is in a similar spot to Jones, especially if Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips play more minutes after the deadline.

On the other hand, Collins may have value in Chicago if the Bulls trade Vucevic. He’s no lock to play rotation minutes now, but that could change after the deadline. Collins had his moments in San Antonio last season, playing alongside Wembanyama or filling in as the starting center when the sensation was injured. However, that isn’t enough to make him a “must-add” in the aftermath of this trade.