4 Trade packages Spurs should immediately be offering Kings for De'Aaron Fox

The Spurs can be flexible with their trade packages to make this work.

San Antonio Spurs v Sacramento Kings
San Antonio Spurs v Sacramento Kings | Ezra Shaw/GettyImages

We're just over a week out from the NBA trade deadline and the rumor mill is starting to heat up. No major trades have broken yet but the dominos are getting ready to fall. The first, and potentially the biggest, could bring the San Antonio Spurs a much-needed franchise-altering point guard.

De'Aaron Fox has been one of the most explosive floor generals in the NBA since he entered the league back in 2017. Over time he's channeled and refined his rare speed, melded it with veteran wisdom, and cemented himself as one of the better pure point guards in the league.

Fox has been the driving force behind the Kings' long-running rebuild effort but it looks like his time in Sacramento could be coming to a close soon. Per ESPN insider Shams Charania, the Kings have put up the 'Open for Business' sign and are ready to have talks about trading their franchise leader.


ESPN Kings insider James Ham followed Shams, noting that Fox's preferred destination is with the San Antonio Spurs. Additional sources from San Antonio report that Fox and his family have "been working behind the scenes in recent months to prepare for the player's arrival with the Spurs."

Things certainly did get interesting quickly! Fox is unquestionably a player Brian Wright needs to start asking about. San Antonio's collection of draft picks is one of the deepest in the league. Combine that with one or two players that grab the Kings' interest and we're in business. There's no reason this can't work out.

The Knicks sent four unprotected first-round picks and one top-four protected pick with salary filler to Brooklyn this summer for Mikal Bridges. Starting discussions with Sacramento could reasonably begin in a similar range. With that context, here are a few different offers that the Spurs could put forward that might get the Kings interested.

San Antonio can offer any trade Kings need for De'Aaron Fox

1. Picks & players help Sacramento move for mini-rebuild

Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell
San Antonio Spurs Media Day | Ronald Cortes/GettyImages

Spurs Send: Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, 3 unprotected future 1st's; Kings Send: De'Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter

Combining picks and players in a package of Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and two to three first-round picks, likely including at least Hawks unprotected picks in 2025 and 2027, would be matched by Fox and Kevin Huerter from Sacramento.

If the Kings want to remain semi-competitive and feel that a core of Johnson, Vassell, Domantas Sabonis, Malik Monk, Keegan Murray, and Demar DeRozan is enough to keep them there then this trade would make sense. Including unprotected picks rounds out the package and gives Sacramento additional flexibility down the line.

2. Jeremy Sochan headlines pick-heavy trade package

Bennedict Mathurin, Jeremy Sochan
Indiana Pacers v San Antonio Spurs | Dean Mouhtaropoulos/GettyImages

Spurs Send: Jeremy Sochan, Tre Jones, Zach Collins, four 1st round picks; Kings Send: De'Aaron Fox, Alex Len

If the Kings are more focused on the future, Jeremy Sochan and four future first-round picks could help kickstart a deeper rebuild. Including Tre Jones helps mitigate the loss of Fox, and an Alex Len for Zach Collins swap makes the math work while exchanging frontcourt depth.

This one comes down to how the Kings might feel about Sochan as a prospect. Ask four Spurs fans how they feel about Sochan and you're likely to get four different answers. The Kings front office might feel differently. If they view Sochan as the kind of player they want to build around this could be enough to get a deal done.

3. Kings and Spurs swap point guards, give Kings a Castle

Stephon Castle, Bennedict Mathurin
Indiana Pacers v San Antonio Spurs | Dean Mouhtaropoulos/GettyImages

Spurs Send: Stephon Castle, Keldon Johnson, two future 1st round picks; Kings Send: De'Aaron Fox

If the Kings' marketing department had their way, this would be the deal. Stephon Castle on the Sacramento Kings, Borat references aside the content practically writes itself. And that's to say nothing of the Spurs burgeoning Rookie of the Year candidate.

Castle looks to be every bit the player San Antonio hoped they were getting when they took him 4th overall. He has future superstar written all over him and the Spurs should be reluctant to part with him. Frankly, I think this should be the line in the sand for San Antonio. In a perfect world, Castle wouldn't be on the table at all.

But the Kings are going to ask about him. They have to. If, and I pray this doesn't happen, the Spurs do trade Castle, the picks to be included should be reduced significantly. Two first-round picks should be the ceiling San Antonio has on any deal involving their impressive rookie.

4. Sacramento angles for another complete rebuild

Golden State Warriors v Sacramento Kings
Golden State Warriors v Sacramento Kings | Thearon W. Henderson/GettyImages

Spurs Send: Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Chris Paul, five future 1st round picks; Kings Send: De'Aaron Fox

Light the beacons! The Kings are signaling another rebuild! And the Spurs will answer. With their deep bag of picks, San Antonio can give Sacramento all the draft capital they could ask for. If trading Fox is just the first domino to fall for the Kings, this deal could be expanded to bring in additional teams to take on the immediate benefit of Jones & Paul while sending even more picks back to Sacramento.

Is Sacramento looking to start over, again? They haven't exactly been impressive this season but they've turned things around under Doug Christie. Do they want to pull the ripcord on that progress and reset the clock entirely? If they do, the Spurs can help with that.

What all of this comes down to is that the Spurs are well-positioned to meet any style of deal that the Kings might be after. Whether it's a full teardown or a moderate restructuring, San Antonio can put together a package to match. And it sounds like it's only a matter of time before we see exactly what these two teams come to terms on.

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