Fantasy Basketball Impact of Potential De'Aaron Fox Trade | Should You Be Picking Up Any Kings Now?

The NBA trade deadline is closing in quickly, so rumors are really starting to pick up.

Jimmy Butler has been at the heart of most of the rumors lately, but De'Aaron Fox is a new name in trade talks. It was reported that the Kings were open to trading Fox, and now it’s being reported that the Spurs are his preferred landing spot.

Let’s take a look at Fox as a fantasy asset, some possible trades with the Spurs and then identify some Kings’ players to potentially pick up if Fox were to get moved.

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Fox’s Season Numbers

Fox has emerged as a really good player over the past several seasons. He’s scored at least 20 points a game in six straight seasons, and has been over 25 in each of the past three years.

In 43 games this season, Fox is averaging 25.2 points, 5 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.5 blocks across 37.2 minutes a game. He’s shooting 46.8% from the floor, 32.4% from 3-point land and is 82.6% at the free throw line.

His averages already say he’s a good fantasy performer, but a deeper dive shows just how consistent Fox has been.

He’s scored at least 12 points in every game, and has only failed to reach 20 points on 10 occasions. Fox has over 30 points on nine occasions.

Fox has grabbed at least five rebounds in 28 games. He has over five assists in 32 games. With a steal in all but 12 games and a block in 17 games, he’s really an all-around fantasy asset.

Fox is ranked 21st in the FantasySP Fantasy Basketball Trade Value Chart.

Possible Trades with Spurs

Let’s have a little fun and put together some trades involving Fox going to the Spurs. We’ll use the NBA Trade Machine to get the job done.

Fox has a salary of $34,848,340, and no San Antonio player makes even $30 million, so most of the trades are going to involve multiple San Antonio players.

A one-for-one trade that works is Devin Vassell for Fox. Vassell is a talented player, but definitely isn’t on the level of Fox. It'll probably take several draft picks on top of Vassell to make this a trade the Kings even consider.

Combining Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes is another trade that works on the trade machine. I’m not sure the Kings would want to take on more salary while losing a top player, but getting a couple veterans in return could keep the Kings in playoff contention.

Adding Zach Collins with Barnes or Johnson are other two-for-one trades that work. It’d still take a few picks for the Kings to probably be interested though. This move would help the Kings remain competitive though, and so it’s definitely a possibility.

Chris Paul could also be packaged with Johnson or Barnes to make the deal work. This move makes more sense to me, as Sacramento would get a point guard back. Paul and Johnson or Barnes would keep the Kings in playoff contention, but not mortgage the future a bunch either.

Adding Castle with Johnson also works in the trade machine. Castle looks like a building block for the long haul, but the Kings could certainly ask for a lot for a player like Fox. This kind of deal might reduce the amount of picks needed, so I’m not ruling it out completely.

Tre Jones and Johnson packaged together for Fox would also work. Jones could take on a larger role in Sacramento and help the team replace the point guard minutes. Some picks would likely be needed to make this deal a go though.

Any other trades for Fox would need to involve more players. I don’t want to go over every option, because we could be here all day then. Play around with the trade machine and see if you can come up with anything that makes sense.

Fox’s Fantasy Outlook

I wanted to quickly go over the fantasy outlook for Fox. 

Regardless if he ends up in San Antonio, staying in Sacramento, or gets moved to another team, Fox should remain a good fantasy asset wherever he is. He might become a team’s No. 2 scoring option, but Fox is a well-rounded player who can deliver his fantasy numbers in several ways.

I wouldn’t worry too much about where Fox is going to end up. He should remain one of the top fantasy players in the game and be a great help for any fantasy team.

We can go over his outlook if he does get traded, but it’s probably going to be pretty similar to its current level in Sacramento.

Kings’ Players to Target

Sacramento is going to likely get at least a couple players in return if it trades Fox, but depending on who is brought in, several current Sacramento players could take on larger roles, and be better fantasy assets as a result.

Malik Monk is a player who is already owned in every fantasy league, but a Fox trade would likely be a benefit to him. There’d be more scoring opportunities, and he could end up having the ball in his hands more, which would lead to some more assists.

DeMar DeRozan is owned in 100% of leagues, while Keegan Murray is only available in about 7%. They are forwards, but taking away averages like Fox has, someone has to step up, and those two are both good bets. It wouldn’t be huge fantasy upgrades for either, but it would likely boost the fantasy value of each - Murray might move to 100% rostered after a trade.

Domantas Sabonis is another Sacramento player owned in every league already. He too could take on more scoring if Fox is moved, especially if the return doesn’t include high-level scorers. Sabonis is already an elite fantasy option, but a trade would probably only benefit him, or at the very least, keep him at the same level.

Keon Ellis and Kevin Huerter are a pair of guards who could take on larger roles after a Fox trade. Ellis is rostered in 20% of leagues, while Huerter is owned in just 4%. Definitely keep these guys in mind if Fox is moved and a guard isn’t in the return package.

Jordan McLaughlin, Colby Jones and Devin Carter are a few more Sacramento guards to keep an eye on, but probably only if no guard is in the return package.

Final Thoughts

A Fox trade would be a big shakeup to the Sacramento roster, and could really alter the Spurs’ roster (or whatever team he gets moved to). It could impact the final standings and what teams make the postseason too.

Right now though, it’s a lot of speculation. There’s not much you should be doing as a fantasy owner, aside from monitoring the situation.

Get some of these players on your watch list, depending on what kind of league you are in. Otherwise, just sit back and wait to see what comes of the situation.

Keep deploying the Kings’ players as you have been all season, because nothing is likely to change until a move is made.