How NBA experts graded Kings’ trade of De’Aaron Fox to Spurs

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How NBA experts graded Kings’ trade of De’Aaron Fox to Spurs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The De’Aaron Fox era officially is over in Sacramento after the Kings traded their star point guard to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday in the three-team deal with the Chicago Bulls.

In addition to acquiring star guard Zach LaVine from the Bulls, the Kings also received forward Sidy Cissoko from the Spurs, along with three first-round draft picks and three second-round draft picks. Sacramento sent shooting guard Kevin Huerter to the Bulls and guard Jordan McLaughlin to the Spurs as part of the deal as well.

And San Antonio, of course, has a new star in Fox, whose future with the Kings became murky after he refused to sign a contract extension entering the 2024-25 NBA season.

So, when all was said and done, who won this blockbuster trade? NBA experts delivered their grades for the deal, and we’ve rounded them up below.

Kings: B-minus

“Dare we consider the possibility the Kings will actually improve the rest of this season thanks to this trade? Fox and LaVine have rated similarly in most all-in-one stats this season, and Fox’s play has been uneven over the 10 games since he returned from a brief absence because of a glute contusion in early January.

“In that span, Fox’s usage rate has dipped to 23 percent of Sacramento’s offense — down from 29 percent before the injury — and he’s hitting just 44% percent of his 2-point attempts while also dealing with a sprain to his non-shooting right thumb. It’s probably just a slump, but it’s worrisome in the short term. …

“As effective as LaVine has been this season, adding him carries risk. The offer sheet LaVine famously signed with Sacramento as a restricted free agent in 2017 — matched by Chicago — contained protection for the team in case of issues with LaVine’s left knee after he sustained an ACL tear in February 2017 while playing for the Timberwolves. Since then, LaVine had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in May 2022 and had season-ending foot surgery last February.

LaVine has managed to come back looking much like the high-flying…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-experts-graded-kings-trade-171131972.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2025-02-03 17:11:00

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