Ranking Spurs' 3 biggest threats in De'Aaron Fox trade sweepstakes

The Spurs will have to win the De'Aaron Fox race.

Sacramento Kings v Philadelphia 76ers
Sacramento Kings v Philadelphia 76ers | Emilee Chinn/GettyImages

De'Aaron Fox's availability before the trade deadline may not have been on the bingo card of teams around the league, but they've surely been scrambling to get in the game. According to ESPN Insider Shams Charania, the Kings have been fielding calls left and right. Everyone wants to know if the belle of the ball is actually on the market and what it would take to win and get him on their roster.

You could ask just about any front office in the league whether they would want the former all-star on their team, and the vast majority would say yes before you finished the question. But not every team is in a position to get in the chase, narrowing the competition for San Antonio. But there are still a couple of viable threats the Spurs will have to keep their eye on.

3. Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers seem to want every player ever rumored to be available in the slightest. They're reportedly interested in Fox, but it's highly unlikely he will find his way further west. LA doesn't have anything special to give the Kings. Their players are overrated, and their picks are almost nonexistent. The Purple and Gold don't have a first-round pick this year, one in 2026 and none in 2027.

While playing with LeBron James was still a popular wish for players half a decade ago, that's no longer the case. He's 40 years old, shortening the title window, and the Lakers organization outside of LeBron has been struggling with relevance for years. Sure, Anthony Davis is there, but that's simply not enough, and don't give me Austin Reaves. There's no shot he ends up in LA.

2. Miami Heat

Miami is an interesting pick because of Fox's relationship with Bam Adebayo. The two were teammates and roommates at the University of Kentucky, and you can never underestimate the power of friendship and family. Just ask Vin Diesel.

Miami has fewer draft assets than the Lakers, but Fox will have a say in his destination. Any team that trades for him will want an agreement that he'll sign an extension to stay with the team long-term. That gives him leverage. The Heat are already trying to get rid of a Jimmy Butler issue that's been brewing, and the Kings reportedly want players who can help them win now.

Butler would provide that, but there's no telling if they want to bring a volatile forward on the other side of 35 into their locker room. I'd venture to guess not, but who knows? Stranger things have happened. But Sacramento probably wants to stop being a laughingstock, and trading Fox for Jimmy Butler right now wouldn't accomplish that goal.

1. Orlando Magic

Disney World's team is the biggest threat to signing Fox when you look at their assets. They're not a team we've heard a lot about, but that doesn't mean they're working on packages. The Magic are in obvious need of a point guard to drop into their already strong rotation of young players led by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

The question for Orlando would be whether they could pull a deal off without including either of those two, but that's not impossible. They have several young but solid players they can send to Sacramento, like Cole Anthony and Goga Bitadze.

They can also package some picks together, owning two first-rounders in the 2025 draft—one top-five protected from Denver—and all their future picks. Their 2026 first-rounder has more protection than a foreign dignitary, but other than that, they have no restrictions on their picks and even have a few additional second-rounders they received from other teams.

The San Antonio Spurs have a leg up on all of these teams because their assets are still better than everyone mentioned. Plus, Fox reportedly prefers a partnership with Victor Wembanyama. The real threat would have been the Houston Rockets, but they're not interested in the speedy point guard. That works for us. Now, we just need the Kings to play ball and Brian Wright to pull the trigger.

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