De’Aaron Fox

De’Aaron Fox To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

March 13th, 2025 at 6:10pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Spurs star point guard De’Aaron Fox is undergoing season-ending surgery on Tuesday for his pinkie finger, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The decision had been expected, as we relayed earlier in the month.

Fox is dealing with tendon damage in the finger. As Charania clarifies in a follow-up tweet, the injury occurred during training camp, but the veteran guard had played through the injury to this point.

The decision to have the surgery now was made to speed up the healing process, per Charania, and to get the injured Spurs stars on a similar recovery timeline to establish better chemistry in the offseason. Superstar center Victor Wembanyama is out for the season due to deep vein thrombosis.

The Spurs, at 27-37, are 4.5 games out of the play-in picture. Not having Fox and Wembanyama obviously reduces their chances of making the postseason. However, they just beat the 10th-place Mavericks and have multiple games against projected lottery teams in the coming weeks, so the door isn’t entirely closed yet.

With Fox on the shelf, point guard Chris Paul is likely to receive an uptick in minutes. The Spurs may also opt to spread Fox’s minutes across younger players on the roster, with Stephon Castle potentially having a shot at a starting role. Former first-round picks Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley could get minutes after being out of the rotation, or the Spurs might opt to play veteran point guard Jordan McLaughlin more.

The Spurs acquired Fox at the trade deadline after the Kings decided to make him available. He averaged 19.7 points and 6.8 assists per game in 17 appearances (all starts) with the team. His 19.7 PPG scoring average would have been his lowest since his 2018/19 season, but it’s important to note that he was still rounding into form and only briefly overlapped with Wembanyama. In his most recent outing against Dallas, Fox recorded 32 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists.

Southwest Notes: Fox, Rockets, Jackson, Jensen

March 8th, 2025 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

De’Aaron Fox has been playing this season with a dislocated left pinky finger, according to Mike Monroe of The Athletic, who says that the Spurs guard is expected to undergo surgery sooner or later to address the injury. With San Antonio falling out of play-in contention, that procedure could even happen before the end of the season so that the recovery process doesn’t extend too far into the offseason, Monroe notes.

“Oh, obviously, for me and (general manager Brian Wright), we’ve talked about the surgery thing,” Fox said. “At some point, I’m going to have to get it, but we’ll see where we are before that comes.”

Speaking to reporters on Friday in Sacramento after a loss to his former team, Fox pointed to March 17 as a possible date for the procedure, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). The Spurs will be in Los Angeles at that time for a rescheduled game vs. the Lakers and Fox said he’ll have the injury evaluated by a specialist in L.A. during that trip.

“The surgery may or may not happen that day,” he said.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Veteran center Steven Adams has served as a backup to Rockets starter Alperen Sengun for most of the season, but the two big men shared the court for seven minutes against New Orleans on Thursday and Houston outscored the Pelicans 23-5 during that time, per Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). “It’s good because it’s something new,” Adams said after the win. “It’s just engaging. Also, a lot of my career has been spent that way as well, playing double-big lineup anyway. It’s just good, just figuring it out and I feel like we play with each other pretty well, just gravitate the defense. In a sort of way it’s a different look, so I think it’s a pretty useful tool going forward.”
In a Rockets-centric mailbag for The Athletic, Kelly Iko takes a look at Houston’s cap situation going forward, explains why Cam Whitmore is out of the rotation, and considers what the team’s optimal starting lineup would look like. Even though Amen Thompson has thrived in the starting five, Iko thinks it might benefit the Rockets as a whole to move him back to the bench, with Jabari Smith reclaiming his starting spot.
Santi Aldama returned to action on Friday for the Grizzlies following a two-game absence due to a right calf strain and Jaren Jackson Jr., who has missed two games with a left ankle sprain, might not be too far behind him. According to Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter link), Jackson was on the floor for the team’s shootaround on Friday morning, dribbling and getting up shots. The team said on Tuesday that the big man is considered “week to week.”
Although Mavericks assistant Alex Jenson has accepted the head coaching job at the University of Utah, he’ll finish out the season in Dallas before officially transitioning into that new position with the Utes, he tells NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link).

Kings Rumors: Sabonis, Fox, Ownership, Ranadives, Christie

March 7th, 2025 at 11:11pm CST by Luke Adams

After trading De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio last month, the Kings no longer have to worry about whether or not the star guard is confident in the direction of the franchise, but Fox wasn’t the only player in Sacramento with those concerns, according to Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

League sources tell The Athletic that Kings center Domantas Sabonis is expected to “seek clarity” this offseason about the team’s plans going forward.

Sabonis still has three years and $140MM left on his current contract after this season and won’t become extension-eligible until the 2026 offseason, so the Kings likely won’t have to make a decision about his future this year, like they did with Fox. However, like Fox, Sabonis and other members of the team’s core have questions about whose voices are loudest when it comes to key personnel decisions and whose counsel matters most to team owner Vivek Ranadive.

As Amick and Slater explain, Ranadive has frequently leaned on advisors outside of the standard front office hierarchy for advice on major team decisions. Former head coach Alvin Gentry is one such advisor, while John Calipari has also served as a sounding board. Veteran executives like chief operating officer Matina Kolokotronis and president of business operations John Rhinehart have had significant influence as well.

“What is the vision here?” a league source close to one core Kings player said. “It feels like it could be headed toward chaos.”

Here’s more on the Kings from Amick and Slater:

While Ranadive’s son Aneel Ranadive was heavily involved earlier in the earlier days of Vivek’s ownership, his daughter Anjali Ranadive is believed to have had more say in recent years, leading to speculation about whether she may be the “heir apparent” as the team’s governor. Anjali’s input was one reason why the Kings hesitated to sign head coach Mike Brown to a contract extension last offseason, team and league sources tell The Athletic.
Anjali Ranadive no longer has a formal basketball operations role in the organization after stepping down as the Stockton Kings’ general manager in January 2024, but she’s still believed to have influence throughout the organization, per Amick and Slater. She and former NBA player Jeremy Lamb “became a more visible part of the Kings’ decision-making tree early this season” after their relationship went public, though Lamb no longer seems as involved in organizational decisions as he was a few months ago, according to The Athletic’s duo.
It’s not yet clear whether Doug Christie, who was 19-11 in his first 30 games as Sacramento’s coach entering Friday, will have his interim tag removed and become the club’s permanent head coach. Team sources tell The Athletic that if the Kings continue to win at this rate, Christie would have a strong chance to land the permanent job. If the Kings go in a different direction, they’d be hiring their 14th head coach since Rick Adelman‘s exit in 2006.
Amick and Slater also dig in a little to the circumstances surrounding Fox’s departure from Sacramento, suggesting that the longtime Kings guard was worried about spending his prime years with a franchise that would be mired in “mediocrity and instability.”

De’Aaron Fox Talks Kings Exit, Loyalty To Mike Brown, More

March 7th, 2025 at 9:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Ahead of his first game against his former team on Friday night, Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox spoke to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright about his final days in Sacramento, telling Wright that he “never asked for a trade” and “loved” playing for the Kings.

“I truly wanted to play for one team my whole career,” Fox said. “I really did. … Everybody bled purple (in Sacramento). It was always great just going to the grocery store, going out to a restaurant. Everybody there was extremely kind. And when we started winning, then it was ‘light the beam’ everywhere. You really felt it around the city. So, it was definitely a great place to be for as long as I was.”

However, Fox wasn’t entirely convinced the franchise was on a path toward title contention and was put off by the number of head coaching changes that had occurred since he was drafted in 2017.

After playing for Dave Joerger, Luke Walton, and Alvin Gentry, the eighth-year guard liked what the Kings had in Mike Brown and says he advocated for the franchise to sign him to a contract extension last offseason in the hopes of establishing stability going forward, even as “some guys in the locker room” wanted Brown fired over the summer, according to Fox.

“I was like, ‘Yo, I’ve been here for going on my eighth year. If Mike gets fired, I’ll be going on my fifth coach,'” Fox told Wright. “And I told them, ‘I’m not going to play for another coach. I’m going to play for another team.'”

When the Kings got off to a 13-18 start and fired Brown, there was some speculation that Fox may have had a hand in the decision, which was made shortly after the veteran coach publicly criticized his star guard for a mistake that cost Sacramento a potential win.

But Fox, who says he still talks to Brown regularly, wasn’t in favor of the move and didn’t appreciate the way the Kings handled it — no one from management or ownership discussed the coaching change with reporters until more than a month later, after the team had traded its star point guard to San Antonio.

“You fire the coach, and you don’t do an interview?” Fox said. “So, all the blame was on me. Did it weigh on me? No. I don’t give a f–k. But the fact y’all are supposed to be protecting your player and y’all let that happen. … I felt at the time the organization didn’t have my back.

“The energy shifted and what’s understood doesn’t need to be explained. If I finished my contract there, then they knew what was going to happen next and it was because y’all fired another coach. That’s why I said in the interview after Mike was fired and we were in L.A. [on Dec. 28], they knew where I stood and there was nothing more to be said.”

Fox had turned down multiple contract extension offers from the Kings last offseason, according to both Wright and Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic, but interim head coach Doug Christie wondered after the team got off to an 11-4 start under his watch if the guard’s thinking about opting for free agency had changed at all. On January 27, he spoke to his agent Rich Paul – who also represents Fox – to get a better sense of the 27-year-old’s position, per Amick and Slater.

Paul informed Christie that Fox’s stance was unchanged and that his preference to spend his prime years elsewhere was perhaps even stronger following the coaching change. Christie let management know about that conversation, and the front office in turn told Paul later that day that it would listen to trade offers for Fox, according to The Athletic and ESPN.

On January 28, before the news broke publicly, Kings management sought out Fox to inform him of their decision, per Wright. Fox didn’t reveal which member of the front office he spoke to, but suggested he felt like the conversation happened later than it should have.

“We’re sitting there trying to have the conversation, but I know what he’s about to tell me because Rich had already told me,” Fox said. “A reporter calls trying to break the story, but mind you, our GM hasn’t told me yet. So, it had already been told, even before I was told by our team.”

Here are a few more items of interest from Fox’s interview with Wright:

While San Antonio was framed in some late-January reports as the team atop a wish list of preferred destinations, Fox says that’s not quite accurate. “There was no f—ing list,” Fox told ESPN. “There was one team. I wanted to go to San Antonio. So, a lot of people are mad at me, saying I handcuffed the team by giving them a destination. Well, this is my career. If anybody else is in my position, you’d do the same thing. It’s not my job to help build your team. I’m not about to just go where they want me to go. I wanted to have a destination.”
Fox wanted the Kings to pursue dynamic wing players while he was in Sacramento, noting that most of the NBA’s best teams have high-level wings. “That’s all I ever asked (the Kings) for,” he said. “I told Keegan Murray, and I don’t know how many people would agree with me. But I’m like, ‘Yo, the best teams in the league outside of Steph (Curry and the Golden State Warriors), their best player is usually a wing. Wings win in this league.”
While Victor Wembanyama isn’t really a wing, he’s the kind of player Fox believes can be an exception to that general rule. Fox told Wright that Wembanyama’s superstar potential is “why I wanted to come” to San Antonio. The reigning Rookie of the Year, who is out for the season due to a blood clot in his shoulder, flew with the team on this road trip to support Fox in his return to Sacramento, Wright writes for ESPN.com. Team doctors deemed it safe for Wembanyama to fly due to the blood-thinning medication he’s taking, Wright adds.

Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Biyombo, Rebounding, M. Johnson

February 22nd, 2025 at 5:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs were “jolted” by the news that Victor Wembanyama has a blood clot in his right shoulder, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (Insider link), who says the team was relieved to have caught the issue before it got more serious. While the Spurs remain optimistic about the big man’s ability to make a full recovery, his health issue is just the latest development in what has been a trying season in San Antonio, Windhorst notes.

Head coach Gregg Popovich, of course, has been away from the team since early November after suffering a stroke. And while the blockbuster De’Aaron Fox trade earlier this month was a major positive, it has had a “destabilizing” effect on a club not accustomed to major in-season roster moves, Windhorst writes. Windhorst also describes the Spurs’ trip to France last month as “emotionally taxing.”

“This has been one long, crazy season,” a team source told ESPN.

The Spurs were 18-16 at one point, but have dropped 14 of 20 games since then. With a 24-30 record and Wembanyama lost for the season, their chances of earning a play-in spot are slim, while their odds of securing a top-10 pick in this year’s draft are on the rise.

In addition to holding their own first-round pick, the Spurs control the Hawks’ unprotected first-rounder. If the season ended today, those selections would be 10th and 11th in the lottery order, with a combined 5% chance of turning into the No. 1 overall pick, according to Tankathon.

Here’s more on the Spurs and Wembanyama:

Wembanyama’s dominance helped to hide the team’s overall lack of frontcourt depth, which became worse when Zach Collins had to be sent to Chicago in the Fox deal, Michael C. Wright observes in an ESPN overview of the effects of losing Wembanyama. Wright expects Bismack Biyombo, who signed a second 10-day contract with San Antonio on Friday, to eventually receive a standard deal for the rest of the season. Wright also states that Fox, Chris Paul and Stephon Castle are likely to share the court more often in three-guard lineups.
The Spurs got a taste of what life without Wembanyama might be like in Friday’s 15-point loss to the Pistons, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. They defeated Phoenix on Thursday, just hours after learning that Wembanyama was lost for the season, but Detroit presented a much tougher matchup with its combination of size and physicality. San Antonio was out-rebounded by a 53-32 margin and couldn’t match up with Pistons center Jalen Duren, who finished the night with 21 points and 15 rebounds. “We knew they’re a big, physical team,” Keldon Johnson said. “Knowing that we are a little bit smaller right now, we are a little bit lacking in size right now, that we got to do it collectively and stay locked in and as a unit we get the rebound.”
Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff recognized the job that Mitch Johnson has done in keeping the team competitive after Popovich’s health scare, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Bickerstaff pointed out that not only is Johnson filling in for a legend, he took over the position with no warning or time to prepare. “You can tell by the way they play he’s got them to buy into him,” Bickerstaff added. “You watch how selfless they play, how they play together, how they compete their tails off. To me, those are the telltale signs of players believing in their coach. They’re organized on both sides of the ball. So you can tell day by day they’re getting the preparation they need to build what a team should look like. He’s done a phenomenal job.”

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Southwest Notes: Morant, Powell, Wemby, Castle

February 18th, 2025 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Several of the stars who were traded ahead of this month’s deadline – including Jimmy Butler, Zach LaVine, and Brandon Ingram – were on the block for a while, while others – such as Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, and De’Aaron Fox – were either total surprises or (as in Fox’s case) weren’t necessarily expected to be on the move this soon.

So which stars might emerge as new trade candidates ahead of the 2025 offseason? Howard Beck of The Ringer said during a live episode of The Real Ones podcast over the weekend that one executive he spoke to about that subject offered up an interesting prediction.

“I’m constantly checking in with executives around (the) trade deadline about what we saw, what we didn’t see, what’s next,” Beck said (Twitter audio link). “And in this league, you are always, always, always on the lookout for who’s the next wave of stars that are going to get dealt, right? … And somebody out of the blue said, ‘Keep an eye on Ja [Morant] this summer.’

“… I’m not saying it’s going to happen. I’m not saying it should happen. I’m just saying it’s one of those things I’m just kind of keeping an eye on if they were to flame out (of the playoffs) early.”

At this point, the idea that Morant will emerge as a trade candidate seems more like wishful thinking on the part of an opposing executive than something likely to actually happen. The Grizzlies‘ star point guard is just 25 years old, is still under contract in Memphis for three more years beyond this season, and has stayed out of trouble off the court since being suspended twice in 2023 for wielding a gun in social media videos.

Still, in the wake of Dallas’ decision to deal Doncic, team executives will likely be loath to assume that any rival star is entirely untouchable.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

The Mavericks haven’t shared an official update on Dwight Powell‘s health for over a week, but Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Twitter link) hears that the big man has been doing full workouts during the All-Star break. Powell, who has been out since January 17 due to a right hip strain, doesn’t typically play a significant role for the Mavs, but the team would love to have him available with frontcourt regulars Dereck Lively, Daniel Gafford, and Anthony Davis all sidelined due to injuries of their own.
Michael C. Wright of ESPN takes a behind-the-scenes look at Victor Wembanyama‘s first All-Star appearance, noting that the Spurs flew their massage therapist, physical therapist, and performance coach to San Francisco to run the big man through his usual pregame routine, since he wanted to win every event he was involved in. That included Saturday’s skills challenge, in which Wembanyama and teammate Chris Paul attempted to exploit a loophole and were ultimately disqualified. “I don’t regret it,” the first-time All-Star said of the scheme to intentionally miss their required shot attempts as quickly as possible. “I thought it was a good idea.”
After a busy All-Star weekend, first-year Spurs guard Stephon Castle spoke to Marc J. Spears of Andscape about his experience in San Francisco, what he has learned from Paul, and what it’s like to play with Wembanyama, among other topics. Castle also expressed optimism about his ability to play alongside new San Antonio point guard De’Aaron Fox going forward. “I love playing with D-Fox,” the rookie told Spears. “He plays super-fast. That is how I like to play. Super unselfish. He can go get a bucket whenever you need him to. Yeah, he’s super cool and a great guy off the court, too.”

Southwest Notes: Davis, Mavs, Rockets, Fox

February 7th, 2025 at 7:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Star big man Anthony Davis is on track to return from his abdominal strain and make his Mavericks debut on Saturday, having been officially listed as probable to play in Dallas vs. the Rockets.

As Tim MacMahon of ESPN details, it’s expected to be a charged environment in Dallas, where a protest is planned from fans angry about the decision to trade away franchise player Luka Doncic. Davis said on Friday that he “can’t control” how fans will react, but that he understands why they’re upset about the trade.

“Obviously it’s a business, and I get who Luka was to this franchise, to the city,” Davis said. “I’m never going to downplay that — just how I know what I meant to the city of L.A. So I’m not surprised by the fans’ reaction and the city’s reaction, but it’s my job to come in and play basketball and do what I’m supposed to do and give the fans hope and reassurance on why [general manager] Nico [Harrison] brought me here.

“…I understand who Luka is and what he’s able to do and what he’s already done for our game. He’s a phenomenal player, going to be one of the best to ever play the game of basketball. But to have Nico trade for me just shows his belief in me and what I can do on the floor. It’s my job to produce every night and have Mavs nation believe that as well. So I’m excited for the challenge.”

While it’s no surprise that some Mavs fans have handled news of the Doncic/Davis trade poorly, “lines have been crossed,” according to MacMahon, who said during a TV appearance (Twitter video link) that Harrison has received threats and faced racial epithets.

Sources tell MacMahon that the team has beefed up security for Saturday’s contest and that Harrison – who has employed his own personal security – won’t be in his usual seat for the game.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said on Thursday that he envisions a starting lineup that features P.J. Washington at small forward and Davis at power forward alongside a center (Twitter link via Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News). When Dereck Lively is healthy, he may be the team’s starting five, but until then, Daniel Gafford will likely get that assignment. Washington, who has missed the past three games due to right knee soreness and personal reasons, is off the injury report and should be available on Saturday.
Rockets officials expressed for months leading up to Thursday’s deadline that they planned to stick with their current roster making than making any major in-season deals and they stuck to that plan this week, as Kelly Iko of The Athletic writes. Reports have suggested Houston wants to see how its young core performs in the postseason before making any major roster decisions — head coach Ime Udoka reiterated that point on Thursday. “We like what we have,” Udoka said. “We’ve been doing OK and feel we can do a lot better. (We) want to continue to grow as a group, watch our young guys develop, play in big situations and see what we have.”
Citing team and league sources, Iko reports that the Rockets received calls this week on Jae’Sean Tate, Jock Landale, Aaron Holiday, and Steven Adams, all of whom are on expiring or pseudo-expiring contracts. However, Houston didn’t feel compelled to make any move that would compromise the team’s depth, according to Iko, who says Tate generated the most interest of those four players.
De’Aaron Fox‘s 24-point, 13-assist Spurs debut on Wednesday in a tight win over Atlanta provided a compelling case for the star guard’s fit in San Antonio, writes ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. “Selfishly, as a coach, I think that’s probably about as complete of a game you’d hope for the first game,” acting head coach Mitch Johnson said. “You saw the potential. It’s tantalizing. He’s dynamic. He’s going to unlock a whole different element for our team.”

Southwest Notes: Fox, Mavericks, Gafford, Murphy, Murray

February 5th, 2025 at 5:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

Hours before making his Spurs debut tonight in Atlanta, De’Aaron Fox already seemed comfortable with his new team, writes Michael C. Wright of ESPN. San Antonio was Fox’s preferred destination when he informed the Kings that he wasn’t interested in extending his contract beyond 2026. At this morning’s shootaround, Fox talked about the chance to team up with Victor Wembanyama and join an organization loaded with young talent.

“It’s a very unique opportunity,” he said. “Not many guys come around like that. And I think it’s not just him, but everybody else. With the way they’re built, with the athleticism, with the length that they have and also the youth, I just felt like this could be a special team. I felt like the fit would be spectacular, and I feel like I have a lot of years left to play. Some people say you kind of expedited [San Antonio’s development] process. But you look at a team like [Oklahoma City], where outside of Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) and I think outside of (Alex Caruso), everybody else is pretty much on a rookie contract. I feel like we can do the same thing.”

Fox will now be an important part of that equation. He received a text from a member of the Spurs’ organization on Monday talking about the need to overcome “dry spells” as the team’s offense bogged down during a loss to Memphis. Fox is regularly one of the league’s best crunch-time scorers, which will be a welcome addition to a San Antonio team that’s just 9-11 in clutch games this season.

“Excited to see what it looks like,” new teammate Chris Paul said. “I’ve known Fox for a while. To get a chance to play alongside him, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Mavericks are offering refunds to angry fans who canceled their season tickets over the Luka Doncic trade, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Several fans staged a protest Sunday outside American Airlines Center, with some holding up signs criticizing general manager Nico Harrison.
Mavericks center Daniel Gafford was able to practice today after hurting his shoulder in Tuesday’s game at Philadelphia, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “I’m fine. It was just obviously a scare,” he told Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). “It was probably one of the worst stingers that I’ve had coming down this stretch. But it’s OK. Kind of like a shooting pain down my arm last night so it scared me because I didn’t want it to be more of a major injury than what I was expecting. It was just a regular old stinger, so I’ll be fine.”
Trey Murphy has become the second player in Pelicans history to reach 40 points in two straight games, notes Rod Walker of NOLA. He scored 24 points in the third quarter Monday night, which ties a franchise record for most points in a quarter.
Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray posted a photo from his hospital bed after undergoing surgery for a torn Achilles tendon (Twitter link). “Thank you God for a successful surgery,” Murray wrote. “Road to recovery starts now.”

Southwest Notes: Doncic, Duffy, Davis, Vassell, Jackson

February 4th, 2025 at 9:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Confirming previous reports, Luka Doncic said he gave Mavericks management any indication that he wouldn’t sign a five-year, $345MM super-max extension this offseason prior to being dealt to the Lakers, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News tweets.

“Absolutely not,” Doncic said.

Doncic’s agent, Bill Duffy, indicated he expected to discuss the super-max with Dallas’ brass.

“We were going to talk at the end of the season,” Duffy said, per another Townsend tweet.

Doncic is no longer eligible for the super-max since he was dealt.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Anthony Davis admits he was caught off-guard by the blockbuster trade that landed him in Dallas. “I was shocked,” Davis said, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “I had no idea. I had just sent the team a text about congratulations on the win against the Knicks, big win, and then looking forward to Tuesday’s game against the Clippers, as far as standing purposes. And then, found out like an hour later I was no longer with the team. I was in shock, obviously. Had no idea that it was happening. But, I mean, now I’m kind of over it, and just kind of getting ready to play with Dallas.” Davis had lobbied for the Lakers to acquire a center so he could spend more time at power forward. The Mavericks have Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively, which will allow Davis to play power forward regularly again. “Anytime that I’m out on the floor, I feel better. I haven’t played power forward in a long time with another big,” Davis said. “We saw some spurts in L.A. with Jaxson (Hayes), but to be back naturally at the four, I’m excited to see how it goes.”
Spurs wing Devin Vassell sees a new offensive dimension with the addition of De’Aaron Fox, according to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. He feels defenses will be confounded by the combination of Fox and Victor Wembanyama. “Who do you stop between those two?” Vassell said. “I think we’re going to play a lot faster and we’re going to be out in transition a lot. I think it’s just going to open up a lot with Fox being our point guard. Him and Wemby on the screen-and-roll? Then you have me and (Julian) Champagnie and certain shooters around. It’s going to be an exciting offense, and I think defensively we’re going to be able to get after people, too. I know Fox likes to pick up full court and kind of change the pace of the game. He’s going to help us on both ends.” Fox is listed as available for the Spurs’ game against Atlanta on Wednesday, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.
In a subscriber-only story, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal details GG Jackson‘s breakout game against San Antonio and considers how Jackson’s ability to be a dynamic offense option impacts the Grizzlies going forward. The second-year forward, playing in his eighth game since returning from foot surgery, scored 27 points in 28 minutes.

Spurs Acquire Fox, Kings Land LaVine In Three-Team Trade

February 3rd, 2025 at 2:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

FEBRUARY 3: The trade is official, according to press releases from the Bulls, Spurs, and Kings. Chicago waived Torrey Craig and Chris Duarte to make room for the incoming players, as we detailed in a separate story.

FEBRUARY 2: The Spurs are finalizing a three-team trade in which they’ll acquire Kings star guard De’Aaron Fox, while Bulls high-scoring wing Zach LaVine will be moved to Sacramento, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (via Twitter).

Kevin Huerter, Zach Collins and Tre Jones are being sent the Bulls, while Jordan McLaughlin will join Fox in San Antonio, The Athletic’s Sam Amick tweets.

The Bulls will reacquire the top-10 protected 2025 first-round pick they owed the Spurs, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network tweets. San Antonio will also send out three more first-rounders to the Kings.

Here’s the full breakdown, according to Charania:

Spurs to acquire Fox and McLaughlin.
Kings to acquire LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, the Hornets’ 2025 first-round pick (top-14 protected; from Spurs), the Spurs’ 2027 first-round pick, the Timberwolves’ 2031 first-round pick, the Bulls’ 2025 second-round pick (from Spurs), the Nuggets’ 2028 second-round pick (top-33 protected; from Spurs), and their own 2028 second-round pick (from Bulls).
Bulls to acquire Collins, Jones, Huerter, and their own 2025 first-round pick (from Spurs).

Note: If the Hornets’ 2025 first-rounder falls within its protected range, as expected, Charlotte will instead convey its 2026 second-round pick and 2027 second-round draft pick to Sacramento.

This is the ideal outcome for Fox, who reportedly had the Spurs at the top of his wish list after news was leaked that the Kings would entertain offers for their leading scorer and floor leader. Fox and budding superstar Victor Wembanyama will now become the Spurs’ pick-and-roll partnership for years to come, with San Antonio also able to keep promising rookie Stephon Castle out of the deal.

Fox turned down a three-year, maximum-salary extension offer during the 2024 offseason and had shown a lack of interest in signing an extension, prompting Sacramento’s front office to field trade offers.

Fox will be eligible to renegotiate and extend his contract with the Spurs in August, ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (Twitter link). The 2023 All-Star, who is averaging 25.0 points, 6.1 assists and 5.0 assists per game this season, will no longer have the opportunity to become super-max eligible by making an All-NBA team in 2025, but he’ll be able to sign an extension in the offseason that begins in 2026/27, starts at 30% of that season’s cap, and covers up to four years.

The Spurs, meanwhile, still control six first-round picks over the next seven seasons, starting with two in 2025 (their own and Atlanta’s pick), and could use those draft assets to continue pursuing roster upgrades around Fox and Wembanyama.

LaVine, of course, has been the subject of trade rumors for years. He’ll finally be on the move and will ironically rejoin forces with his former Bulls teammate DeMar DeRozan. LaVine, who has battled knee issues in recent years, has averaged 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game with outstanding shooting numbers (.511/.446/.797) in an impressive bounce-back season in Chicago.

While the Kings will collect a handful of draft assets in this deal, the acquisition of LaVine reflects their desire to remain in win-now mode and push for a playoff spot this season. They’re currently 24-24 and hold the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference.

LaVine’s move to Sacramento comes approximately six-and-a-half years after he signed a four-year, $78MM offer sheet with the Kings as a restricted free agent. The Bulls, of course, matched that offer sheet back in July 2018, keeping the former UCLA standout in Chicago.

In addition to shedding LaVine’s contract and creating significant short- and long-term cap flexibility, the Bulls will get their very valuable first-rounder back — even if that pick had landed in its protected range this season, Chicago would still have owed a top-eight protected first-rounder to San Antonio in 2026. By reacquiring that pick, the Bulls will regain full control of their first-rounders going forward.

The Bulls will have to waive two players from their roster to make the deal official, since they’re already at the 15-man limit.

Fox is making $34.85MM this season and $37MM next season in the final year of his deal. Huerter also has one year remaining on his contract. He’s earning $16.8MM this season and $18MM next season.

LaVine, who has a $43MM salary this season, has two years remaining after this season. He’ll bring in $46MM next season and has a player option worth nearly $49MM for 2026/27. He also has a 15% trade kicker, though he could choose to waive that.

Along with Huerter, the Bulls are acquiring the salaries of Collins ($16.7MM this season; $18.1MM next season) and Jones ($9.1MM expiring contract).

McLaughlin is making $2.1MM and will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. Cissoko is making $1.9MM this season and has a non-guaranteed $2.22MM cap hit for next season.

Luke Adams contributed to this story.

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