De'Aaron Fox Traded to Spurs for Zach Lavine, three first round picks

[KingsFanSince85]

I’ve been stewing on Fox. Initially I thought I was completely neutral on him being gone. My mind’s changed over the last few days.

De’Aaron Fox will have next to none positive lasting legacy in Sacramento when we all look back on it.

Because of this fringe all-star, we skipped Luka Doncic for a “better fit.” Okay whatever, Vlade’s an idiot. How about the time we got the absolute steal of the draft in Tyrese Haliburton and the dude quit so hard it tanked his value to zero so we had to trade Hali instead to appease him. And of course when it became apparent he wouldn’t snag a SuperMax dude quit again and actively tanked his trade value with demands.

Add to that, he just wasn’t a super likable guy. I remember once upon a time he had a charisma about him. That all went away when he cut his hair and the NBA told him he couldn’t wear the ninja headband. There just wasn’t anything to get behind. This really clicked when he nonchalantly was like “I don’t even care about being an all-star” the other year. If that’s your fire, how can your fanbase get behind you?!

He’s a moody streaky scoring guard. They’re a dime a dozen. We’d never win with him as The Guy. So… I’m glad he’s gone.

I was too nice in the Thank You thread.

My feelings are similar to yours.

Anybody that knows my history here at KF should know that I was a super proponent of drafting #5. I lobbied hard before the 2017 draft and have been a STAUNCH defender of #5 from that time up til just recently.

I always thought the kid was super smart, well-spoken, and a threat on both ends of the floor. And for years it seemed like he wanted to be here in SAC, especially so once he extended past his rookie contract.

But then things seemed to change once he got married and changed agents. At least that's how it seems to me. I mean, let's not pretend he didn't just force a trade to where his wife grew up (and likely still has family). I don't see that as a coincidence. If the kid is a beta husband, more power to him. But I've lost a lot of respect for him and his recent behavior.

More on that topic, his message to us fans is a bunch of BS. Specifically the 2nd paragraph. It's completely disingenuous, and a flat out lie. It's beyond insulting that he believes the fans will buy that nonsense. If he really wanted to end his career in SAC and never expected his time here to end the way that it has -- HE was in complete control of it all! But I'll digress.

In the end, he did the franchise and fans dirty -- not the other way around. And we won't forget it.

The good thing is, while we know how good of a player he can be at times, we get to move on from the frustration of his inconsistent performances and often Laissez-faire, nonchalant attitude.

I'm sure I'll be in the minority on this, but I'm rooting for Swipa's time in San Antonio to fail miserably. I'm not going to go so far as to wish injury on anybody, but I certainly won't cry Argentina if Wemby and/or De'Aaron aren't consistently available for that franchise. And if they both are, I hope they both suffer from coming up short when things matter most.

Sorry to those offended by my attitude, but that's how I feel. And as someone that supported De'Aaron through thick and thin up until a week or so ago -- I believe I've earned the right to feel as I do.

 

[Rob-The-Great]

I don't think a player has ever forced their way out of Sacramento the way Fox has and that was always going to make the TY thread a challenge. If there has been they certainly weren't a fan favorite/face of the franchise player. DDV's agent was trying to bully Monte but DDV doesn't matter. I guess Sasha, but he came here sold one thing only to have Coach Brown deliver another.

I'm guessing a lot of us who really liked Fox are taking this harder than those who thought he was always off. I never gave up hope he would be that guy he flashed until that Detroit game.

Especially when we where winning. That's what pissed me off the most. I domt know how anyone could have a positive outlook on how this guy left. If he had sat out like butler, he would have done us all a favor. This is why i was going hard at him on the forum because I saw this garbage effort the last few games. It was disgusting

 

[SacTownKid]

https://twitter.com/statuses/1886921585942257823

Yeah, this is for sure going to be Monte trying to make nice with the local media haha. That's probably why they all got a little text prior to the trade. Monte's like, "Can we stop warring now?" lol.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Especially when we where winning. That's what pissed me off the most. I domt know how anyone could have a positive outlook on how this guy left. If he had sat out like butler, he would have done us all a favor. This is why i was going hard at him on the forum because I saw this garbage effort the last few games. It was disgusting

I'd have had more respect if he decisioned us like LeBron.

I think the reality is that he is Chris Bosh in whatever this future trio becomes and he didn't want to get out-Boshed.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

My feelings are similar to yours.

Anybody that knows my history here at KF should know that I was a super proponent of drafting #5. I lobbied hard before the 2017 draft and have been a STAUNCH defender of #5 from that time up til just recently.

I always though the kid was super smart, well-spoken, and a threat on both ends of the floor. And for years it seemed like he wanted to be here in SAC, especially so once he extended past his rookie contract.

But then things seemed to change once he got married and changed agents. At least that's how it seems to me. I mean, let's not pretend he didn't just force a trade to where his wife grew up (and likely still has family). I don't see that as a coincidence. If the kid is a beta husband, more power to him. But I've lost a lot of respect for him and his recent behavior.

More on that topic, his message to us fans is a bunch of BS. Specifically the 2nd paragraph. It's completely disingenuous, and a flat out lie. It's beyond insulting that he believes the fans will buy that nonsense. If he really wanted to end his career in SAC and never expected his time here to end the way that it has -- HE was in complete control of it all! But I'll digress.

In the end, he did the franchise and fans dirty -- not the other way around. And we won't forget it.

The good thing is, while we know how good of a player he can be at times, we get to move on from the frustration of his inconsistent performances and often Laissez-faire, nonchalant attitude.

I'm sure I'll be in the minority on this, but I'm rooting for Swipa's time in San Antonio to fail miserably. I'm not going to go so far as to wish injury on anybody, but I certainly won't cry Argentina if Wemby and/or De'Aaron aren't consistently available for that franchise. And if they both are, I hope they both suffer from coming up short when things matter most.

Sorry to those offended by my attitude, but that's how I feel. And as someone that supported De'Aaron through thick and thin up until a week or so ago -- I believe I've earned the right to feel as I do.

Was the Detroit game for me but the coaching change made me feel like, ok... we can do this. And we were doing it and after 11 of 14 he pulls out?

Completely unserious. There's no other franchise that would stand for it but enough people have PTSD from the 2010s they will place the blame on the wrong parties. It's fine. I just hope we never do something stupid like put him in a ring of honor or anything because the way he left is devoid of any.

 

[KingsFanSince85]

Since the "thank you thread" isn't the proper place for this, I'll drop it here.

https://twitter.com/statuses/1886446047141982429

^^^^

 

[Rob-The-Great]

I'd have had more respect if he decisioned us like LeBron.

I think the reality is that he is Chris Bosh in whatever this future trio becomes and he didn't want to get out-Boshed.

Exactly, As a kings fan first. Being politically correct to a guy we where loyal to for 7 years and built around, only for him to half ass us for half the season and play us to get his money over win, then talk about how he only cares about winning, while getting traded to a team with a worse record than us? Like what!

I can see how the MODs not being Kings fans could see it coming off as perhaps too much, but as a fan of the team, it felt personal. He could have set us back 5 years.

Could have lost DeeBo, Sabonis, Monk. Already lost a coach. My goodness, what was next

 

[KaiJonesBall]

My feelings are similar to yours.

Anybody that knows my history here at KF should know that I was a super proponent of drafting #5. I lobbied hard before the 2017 draft and have been a STAUNCH defender of #5 from that time up til just recently.

I always though the kid was super smart, well-spoken, and a threat on both ends of the floor. And for years it seemed like he wanted to be here in SAC, especially so once he extended past his rookie contract.

But then things seemed to change once he got married and changed agents. At least that's how it seems to me. I mean, let's not pretend he didn't just force a trade to where his wife grew up (and likely still has family). I don't see that as a coincidence. If the kid is a beta husband, more power to him. But I've lost a lot of respect for him and his recent behavior.

More on that topic, his message to us fans is a bunch of BS. Specifically the 2nd paragraph. It's completely disingenuous, and a flat out lie. It's beyond insulting that he believes the fans will buy that nonsense. If he really wanted to end his career in SAC and never expected his time here to end the way that it has -- HE was in complete control of it all! But I'll digress.

In the end, he did the franchise and fans dirty -- not the other way around. And we won't forget it.

The good thing is, while we know how good of a player he can be at times, we get to move on from the frustration of his inconsistent performances and often Laissez-faire, nonchalant attitude.

I'm sure I'll be in the minority on this, but I'm rooting for Swipa's time in San Antonio to fail miserably. I'm not going to go so far as to wish injury on anybody, but I certainly won't cry Argentina if Wemby and/or De'Aaron aren't consistently available for that franchise. And if they both are, I hope they both suffer from coming up short when things matter most.

Sorry to those offended by my attitude, but that's how I feel. And as someone that supported De'Aaron through thick and thin up until a week or so ago -- I believe I've earned the right to feel as I do.

Fox and Yoko Ono better not count their eggs before their hatched. I think Fox is in for a rude awakening in San Antonio. Fox wants them more than they want him. I think this is an audition. Spurs gave up very little to bring him in house and see if he is worth the money. I could see this blowing up in his face if he doesn’t bring his A game for the rest of the season. Pop already chose Derek White over Fox during Olympic cutdowns.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Fox and Yoko Ono better not count their eggs before their hatched. I think Fox is in for a rude awakening in San Antonio. Fox wants them more than they want him. I think this is an audition. Spurs gave up very little to bring him in house and see if he is worth the money. I could see this blowing up in his face if he doesn’t bring his A game for the rest of the season. Pop already chose Derek White over Fox during Olympic cutdowns.

It's my honest opinion she was the leak but calling her Yoko seems uncalled for

 

[Fantazija]

Fox and Yoko Ono better not count their eggs before their hatched. I think Fox is in for a rude awakening in San Antonio. Fox wants them more than they want him. I think this is an audition. Spurs gave up very little to bring him in house and see if he is worth the money. I could see this blowing up in his face if he doesn’t bring his A game for the rest of the season. Pop already chose Derek White over Fox during Olympic cutdowns.

Excellent point, forgot about Olympic cutdowns

 

[Capt. Factorial]

I honestly can't believe Castle got to keep 5 for Spurs. He's a flippin rookie.

Well, as they have made perfectly clear, the Spurs value Castle more highly than they value Fox.

 

[Vinny Basketballerino]

Well, as they have made perfectly clear, the Spurs value Castle more highly than they value Fox.

Yeah but the kicker was just that Fox would have signed with them later, and Fox probably made that crystal clear which allowed them to be staunch.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Well, as they have made perfectly clear, the Spurs value Castle more highly than they value Fox.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

I have zero disagreements with mods. If there is something I said you didn't like you can always PM me. Didn't notice i was bothering you

Followed by...

I can see how the MODs not being Kings fans

Case in point. You've been doing this kind of thing for at least a week. It won't be ignored anymore.

 

[ockingsfan]

Yeah but the kicker was just that Fox would have signed with them later, and Fox probably made that crystal clear which allowed them to be staunch.

Yeah, Fox wanted to weasel his way to San Antonio but make it look like it was the Kings fault. I'm sure it was a PR move by Klutch, which ultimately backfired when the truth came out. I'm glad that the Kings FO didn't take the fall for Fox orchestrating his move to SA.

IMHO, the Kings made out pretty good considering the circumstances. The worse part of the sitaution was San Antonio was going to have a boat load of capspace in the summer of 2026, so they could had signed Fox straight up and left the Kings with nothing.

I for one think that LaVine for Fox was a lateral move, talent wise. Best case scenario is that we unlock Monk's true potential playing PG and LaVine returns to his All-Star self and stays healthy. We can really become an offensive juggernaut team with our starting five (just don't ask about the defense ).

I think we are a couple of depth pieces away from really competing for annual deep playoff runs.

 

[dude12]

I don’t know if people remember when we played in Chicago this year but we had keep changing defenders on Lavine because neither Keon nor Keegan nor Monk nor Fox could stop Lavine. Was unstoppable until crunch time when he missed several drives to the hoop.

Also, I think it was 1140 that was talking to someone from the Bulls broadcast team and they were saying that the Lavine team mates were upset that he was dealt. Also said Lavine has been a leader in the clubhouse. In other words, the opposite of Fox

 

[TaxMan]

Fox and Yoko Ono better not count their eggs before their hatched. I think Fox is in for a rude awakening in San Antonio. Fox wants them more than they want him. I think this is an audition. Spurs gave up very little to bring him in house and see if he is worth the money. I could see this blowing up in his face if he doesn’t bring his A game for the rest of the season. Pop already chose Derek White over Fox during Olympic cutdowns.

lol…. Never did I ever think a Yoko Ono reference would show up on a kings forum in 2025

 

[Capt. Factorial]

lol…. Never did I ever think a Yoko Ono reference would show up on a kings forum in 2025

I mean, she broke up the Bea(m)t(eam)les

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Yoko was hated by the band, Recee ingratiated herself into the community. If she is a large driver in this decision it hurts just as much as Fox does.

 

[KaiJonesBall]

Yoko was hated by the band, Recee ingratiated herself into the community. If she is a large driver in this decision it hurts just as much as Fox does.

Bro. She was born and raised in San Antonio. They are not your friends.

 

[midtowner]

Bro. She was born and raised in San Antonio. They are not your friends.

D Fox and D Fox alone is responsible for him leaving Sac. He hired Klutch and Klutch did what he wanted. I have neither ill will nor good will toward the Foxes.

 

[AaronPDX]

I think I'm one of few around here genuinely glad he's gone. Even the idea of paying Fox the SuperMax when it was still a possibility I thought would financially DOOM this team. There are very few players in the league worth committing to in that way and he's far from any of them. I'm honestly excited to see Lavine here, I really believe he's going to make people glad Fox is gone, too.

 

[Warhawk]

It's funny - when we've traded good players in the past (Webber, Hali, Cousins, etc.) I really felt it.

Fox is more....meh. I was definitely more curious about the returns than I felt any internal conflict about the trade itself.

He's had some fantastic games. He's a talented player that can take over a game when he really tries.

I liked the guy. I bought a jersey. I have a Fox/Ox t-shirt. I started the "thank you" thread.

But I think there was always just a little something there that didn't "grab" me as much as most other players. Since he came here, I think Sabonis has been the real hub of the team that makes it "work". I think that despite the skills he has, Fox wasn't one to truly elevate this team like the star he was portrayed as (and his habit of coasting a lot/up and down play wasn't endearing). If we trade Sabonis I'll be broken up. Monk or Keegan as well. But Fox - nope.

I am definitely excited to see Lavine play with Domas and Monk. If that clicks....I think it could be special.

 

[Jones2006]

As said I already Lavine seems underrated & will prob provide similar production to Fox ... What I don't understand though is if he is so good, why in the world would Chicago trade him and essentially get nothing? They got Huerter & Collins who both objectively have negative value and just got a 1st rounder back. What am I missing from Lavine's game? Is he just an awful defender? Low B-ball IQ? What is it?

 

[Capt. Factorial]

As said I already Lavine seems underrated & will prob provide similar production to Fox ... What I don't understand though is if he is so good, why in the world would Chicago trade him and essentially get nothing? They got Huerter & Collins who both objectively have negative value and just got a 1st rounder back. What am I missing from Lavine's game? Is he just an awful defender? Low B-ball IQ? What is it?

He has like $100M left on his deal and they're in a rebuild.

 

[The_Jamal]

He has like $100M left on his deal and they're in a rebuild.

good ol "flexible pieces" package

 

[OPrime]

As said I already Lavine seems underrated & will prob provide similar production to Fox ... What I don't understand though is if he is so good, why in the world would Chicago trade him and essentially get nothing? They got Huerter & Collins who both objectively have negative value and just got a 1st rounder back. What am I missing from Lavine's game? Is he just an awful defender? Low B-ball IQ? What is it?

High annual salary the next couple years that the Bulls won’t be looking to compete during. Plus he’s dealt with injuries and yes not the best defender.

 

[TaxMan]

It's funny - when we've traded good players in the past (Webber, Hali, Cousins, etc.) I really felt it.

Fox is more....meh. I was definitely more curious about the returns than I felt any internal conflict about the trade itself.

He's had some fantastic games. He's a talented player that can take over a game when he really tries.

I liked the guy. I bought a jersey. I have a Fox/Ox t-shirt. I started the "thank you" thread.

But I think there was always just a little something there that didn't "grab" me as much as most other players. Since he came here, I think Sabonis has been the real hub of the team that makes it "work". I think that despite the skills he has, Fox wasn't one to truly elevate this team like the star he was portrayed as (and his habit of coasting a lot/up and down play wasn't endearing). If we trade Sabonis I'll be broken up. Monk or Keegan as well. But Fox - nope.

I am definitely excited to see Lavine play with Domas and Monk. If that clicks....I think it could be special.

I’m right there with you. It’s more sad that the beam team to some extent is no more (in its previous form)…but that probably realistically ended with Browns firing….and to that end last year didn’t feel the same either. We caught lightening in a bottle two years ago but that’s all it was.

It's odd, Fox is sometimes remembered for his very emotional display after getting eliminated from the NCAA tournament. Yet, he has been oddly emotionless in his NBA career. Yes of course he’s a competitor and goes into ‘mad DeAaron’ mode, but I feel he tries hard to remain ‘professional’ and private. A lot of times he says what I feel like he thinks a professional says. He can be an extremely exciting player one half, and then seemingly walking through the motions the next. Up until he had his two huge scoring nights earlier this year, I always found it odd that he hadn't yet gone for 50 in his career. He just often goes through too many lackadaisical stretches. He is clearly a superior defender than Zach, but at the same time I've seen him fall pray to so many blow byes and ball watching that I'm not sure our overall defense really changes all that much. We shall see.

 

[LPKingsFan]

Looking forward to a full post mortem of the trade at some point (if our media is capable of it), but I think including the Bulls in the Fox deal was pretty creative of the FO. The Spurs had an asset that had way more value to the Bulls than any other team (the Bulls pick) and by looping the Bulls in, the Kings were able to benefit from that value.

 

[Padrino]

It's funny - when we've traded good players in the past (Webber, Hali, Cousins, etc.) I really felt it.

Fox is more....meh. I was definitely more curious about the returns than I felt any internal conflict about the trade itself.

He's had some fantastic games. He's a talented player that can take over a game when he really tries.

I liked the guy. I bought a jersey. I have a Fox/Ox t-shirt. I started the "thank you" thread.

But I think there was always just a little something there that didn't "grab" me as much as most other players. Since he came here, I think Sabonis has been the real hub of the team that makes it "work". I think that despite the skills he has, Fox wasn't one to truly elevate this team like the star he was portrayed as (and his habit of coasting a lot/up and down play wasn't endearing). If we trade Sabonis I'll be broken up. Monk or Keegan as well. But Fox - nope.

I am definitely excited to see Lavine play with Domas and Monk. If that clicks....I think it could be special.

In many ways, the relationship between professional athletes and sports fans is a lie agreed upon. While their wealth sets them apart from us, they're still individuals who clock in and clock out like the rest of us, and have lives outside of basketball that take precedence and priority. For many of them, I imagine they think about the fans very little when they're not on the clock.

Still, as fans, we like the illusion of a strong connection to the players for whom we root, and whose jerseys we buy, and whose names we chant. We like when they acknowledge us, when they talk well of us and our cities. That parasocial relationship is just part of being a sports fan. But De'Aaron Fox is not particularly good at living up to his end of that lie agreed upon. He seemed to have more joy and bounce early in his career, but in the last several years he's gotten more private, moody, aloof, distant with the media, unwilling to kind of fake his way through it. I imagine that's why his goodbye message to Sacramento felt so hollow. It was as if he knew that he had to do it, but still couldn't bring himself to fully commit to the bit.

I tend not to take these things personally, though I understand why some fans do. Either way, it does make it easier to let go of De'Aaron Fox. Some may be dissatisfied with the return on the trade, but I don't think there are too many Kings fans who are mourning the departure of Fox. Personally, I'm of mixed feelings on the trade. I'd grade it a solid C right now, though I'm genuinely hoping that Zach LaVine makes a fool out of me.