Can Spurs Find Workable Trade With Kings For De’Aaron Fox?

The San Antonio Spurs, currently sitting 12th in the Western Conference, aren’t necessarily eyeing an NBA playoff push this spring. However, adding De’Aaron Fox would be a forward-thinking move aimed at setting up a sustained run of success for the 2025-26 season and beyond.

While Fox’s preferred destination, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, is San Antonio, the appeal of joining the Spurs goes far beyond just this season. The chance to team up with Victor Wembanyama, the towering phenom who is already on the path to becoming one of the NBA’s next superstars, is a massive draw.

We’ve already seen how adding a veteran floor general like Chris Paul has elevated Wembanyama’s game, particularly in the pick-and-roll. Fox may not match Paul’s level of craft, but he brings something equally valuable: scoring.

Fox is an explosive offensive weapon, capable of putting up points in a variety of ways. He’s not the playmaking maestro Paul is, but Fox would be a dynamic long-term partner for Wembanyama in San Antonio’s evolving offense.

For the Kings, any deal for Fox will likely center around flexibility, particularly with regard to cap space.

The Spurs could build an intriguing package around wing Keldon Johnson and either Paul or Tre Jones. However, Sacramento would likely need more than just a short-term point guard replacement if they’re aiming to stay competitive.

While neither Paul nor Jones are ideal long-term solutions for the Kings at point guard, both could be valuable pieces in a larger transaction that provides financial flexibility and additional assets.

The real value for Sacramento in this deal would likely come from draft picks. San Antonio has several unprotected picks at its disposal, including a 2024 first-round pick from the Atlanta Hawks and a 2027 unprotected pick from the same team.

They also hold a top-10 protected pick from the Chicago Bulls that becomes top-eight protected in the next two drafts, and a 2031 first-rounder from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

To sweeten the pot, the Spurs could also return the 2031 pick swap they acquired from Sacramento as part of last summer’s DeMar DeRozan trade.

Ultimately, the Spurs would be getting a player who could help establish a long-term winning foundation alongside Wembanyama, while the Kings could build toward the future with a mix of young talent and NBA draft assets, setting themselves up for the next era of their franchise.

While this deal would be about the long term for both teams, the move makes sense as a foundational shift for both franchises.

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