How the Lakers can kickstart an unlikely Spurs' trade target to being available

This isn't necessarily an "enemy of my enemy is my friend" situation, but it's as close as the Spurs are going to get right now. De'Aaron Fox is a star in this league, and the Kings' point guard is currently in a precarious contract situation. San Antonio is in a position to be the premier trade partner for most teams in the league, and they should look to Sacramento for a possible match made in heaven.

Fox could have signed an extension already but opted not to. The reasons were obvious, but they became undeniable when he went on the Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis and explained his position, saying, "I want to make sure that we're in a position to try to win in the future."

Fox is a competitor. He wants to win, and he's young enough to grow with San Antonio's young core. He knows he can get money anywhere, and that's where the Lakers come in.

Fox may want out if Kings don't start winning

Sacramento made a move to improve the team in the offseason when they traded Harrison Barnes to San Antonio to make room for a DeMar DeRozan acquisition from the Bulls. That move hasn't panned out so far. The Kings are currently sitting one spot below the Spurs in the Western Conference standings with a record below .500 (13-14). It's safe to say this is not what they envisioned.

They just lost a close contest to the Denver Nuggets, where the game came down to the final play, and DeRozan fumbled the pass on a beautifully executed play, costing them the game. They play the Lakers in their next two games—a team having their own struggles. If Los Angeles wins both of those games, things really start looking stark for Sacramento, and they may begin to consider blowing it up.

I know there is a 98% chance that this won't happen, but the Spurs have the assets to be active in the trade market. Their names will be floated whenever any significant player is available, so fans should root for the situations of other all-stars to crumble left and right. The more options, the merrier or something like that.

Fox isn't the best 3-point shooter, but that doesn't stop him from averaging 26.2 points per game. He's one of the fastest guards in the league, and pairing him with Victor Wembanyama would make defending SA's offense impossible as they grow together. Fox also leads the NBA in clutch scoring—another highly-coveted skill the Spurs would love to add.

The King's next five games are against the Lakers twice back-to-back, the Pacers, Pistons, and Lakers again, followed by a game against the Mavericks. There are winnable games in there, but they're also very losable. Let's hope for an avalanche of losses. It could only benefit the Spurs.