Fantasy Basketball Impact of Spurs, Kings, Bulls Trade: De'Aaron Fox, Zach LaVine, Tre Jones and More

The NBA stayed in the headlines on Sunday after a three-team trade was revealed.

The Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis trade is still dominating the headlines, but several players (and a couple notable ones) were moved in the Spurs, Kings and Bulls trade.

Let’s analyze the trade and break down what it means from a fantasy basketball perspective.

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What It Means in Real Life

This is a big-time trade, especially in the Western Conference.

The Kings lost the best player in the deal (De'Aaron Fox), but got a big haul in return. Zach LaVine will help replace Fox, and allow Sacramento to still keep competing for a playoff spot.

If LaVine and the Kings cannot make any noise in the next couple seasons, the three first-round picks are a good way for the team to retool the roster and remain at least a playoff team in the West.

The Spurs are outside the playoff picture right now, but getting Fox will help the team make a playoff push this season, and sets them up well for the long run. Fox and Victor Wembanyama are a fun duo that could make some noise for several more years, and San Antonio should still be able to add more talent around them.

Zach Collins, Tre Jones and Kevin Huerter and notable names going back to Chicago, but losing LaVine is likely a signal that the team is going to go into a rebuild. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bulls move another veteran or two before the trade deadline.

Fantasy Impact for the Spurs

The Spurs gave up some picks, but I think they did a great job of not blowing up their roster to land Fox. Jones, Collins and Sidy Cissoko all averaged under 17 minutes a game.

Fox is a big get, as he averaged 25 points, 5 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.4 blocks over 37 minutes a game in 45 games for Sacramento this season. 

It will be interesting to see if he can continue to score that many points with Wembanyama now alongside him. I don’t think Fox’s scoring will drop off dramatically, and Fox could make up for a few less points with more assists.

Fox will remain a top-25 fantasy option even after the trade.

I don’t see this really impacting too many Spurs’ fantasy outlooks either. Fox should start ahead of Chris Paul now, but Paul should still play plenty of minutes and remain a similar value fantasy asset.

Guys like Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell and Harrison Barnes might see a little dip in scoring with Fox now starting alongside them, but his presence might make things a touch easier overall. I don’t think any of their fantasy outlooks are going to be all that much lower.

Wembanyama isn’t going to take a big hit either. I think this will help his fantasy outlook a little bit, because some defensive attention will now be focused on Fox.

There’s really not many Spurs who should be affected by this trade. Yes, the team added a very talented guard in Fox, but they also gave away enough in the trade where the remaining guys on the roster should still get enough minutes to at least maintain their current fantasy value.

Also, I do not see Jordan McLaughlin being a big fantasy asset after being sent to the Spurs, but crazier things have happened. At least keep tabs on him for a little while.

Fantasy Impact for the Kings 

Losing Fox stings, but landing LaVine is probably about as well as Sacramento could have fared I think.

LaVine has averaged 34.1 minutes over 42 games played so far this season. He’s also averaging 24 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.2 blocks a game.

It’s not as easy as comparing stats and saying a player could be plugged in, but LaVine can replicate a lot of what Fox was doing on a nightly basis. I think Sacramento will be just fine without Fox, and they are now set up better for the future.

I think the Kings have more talent than the Bulls, especially on the top end of things. That means LaVine might not be quite as good with his averages as he was with Chicago, but that added talent around him should also help him a touch too. I think his fantasy value will pretty much remain the same.

Like McLaughlin, I don’t think Cissoko will be a big fantasy asset with Sacramento, but I’d at least keep tabs on him for a little while.

Huerter was also averaging 20.9 minutes a game, so between him and Fox, there’s a good amount of minutes and production up for grabs.

Malik Monk, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis should start around LaVine, and that still looks like a pretty formidable lineup. I don’t think the other four starters will see massive shifts in their fantasy outlooks with Fox out of the picture, just because LaVine is capable of similar numbers.

The Sacramento bench is where you might see some changes. Guys like Keon Ellis and Devin Carter are the most likely guys to take on bigger roles without Hurter on the team anymore. Trey Lyles, Doug McDermott, Alex Len, Isaac Jones and Colby Jones are the guys with the next most games played. All of them are worth keeping an eye on over the next few games, to see who takes on more.

Fantasy Impact for the Bulls

As mentioned earlier, I think this trade signals the start of a Chicago rebuild. They might not blow things up completely, but they appear to be looking to the future.

Tre Jones and Huerter will be two guards who will help try to replace the minutes and production that LaVine gave. Collins is a secondary big man at this point, but a trade of Nikola Vucevic could thrust him into a larger role.

Coby White has a chance to really lead the Bulls offensively, and I think he might benefit the most of anyone in this trade. Ayo Dosunmu and Josh Giddey could also get bumps in their fantasy outlooks while taking on more offensive responsibilities.

Lonzo Ball is another guard who could be utilized more now, but he’s been another in trade talks. 

This trade might open up some more minutes and a bigger role overall for Matas Buzelis. Julian Phillips, Dalen Terry, Jalen Smith, Talen Horton-Tucker and Patrick Williams are other players who might have better fantasy outlooks simply because LaVine is gone and there’s plenty of production and minutes that need to be replaced every night.

Closing Thoughts

It’s funny, but the team most affected in this three-team trade is the team that didn’t land a big-time player, Chicago.

They lost a star and really got role players in return. That should boost the fantasy value of several Bulls moving forward, so the team’s box scores over the next week or so will be especially beneficial to watch for fantasy owners.

Really though, it’s all speculation when looking at how a trade might affect a team or individual players. The best way to see how things shake out is to watch the games, or the box scores. 

Over time, roles will be defined, and we’ll have a better idea of what the trade really did to a team or a player. Check back to FantasySP in the coming days and weeks to see if any players mentioned become waiver wire options, or drop candidates, or if it makes sense to maybe trade some of these players away. We have you covered!