Lakers Go All-In for Kings Star De'Aaron Fox in Bold Mock Trade

The Sacramento Kings send De'Aaron Fox to the LA Lakers in this trade scenario.

Dec 19, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) dribbles the ball next to Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1) in the fourth quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings have been in the middle of nearly every trade rumor since the 2023 offseason, but now they are on the wrong side of conversations ahead of February's deadline.

The Kings have started their 2024-25 campaign 13-17, sitting in 12th place in the West and last in the Pacific Division. Their insanely disappointing struggles have sparked talks around franchise point guard De'Aaron Fox hitting the trade block.

Fox, 27, will be eligible for a supermax contract extension if he earns All-NBA honors this season, so many speculate the Kings front office will rather get him off their books than give him a record-breaking contract.

Many potential suitors have emerged if the Kings do look to trade Fox, but Matt Levine of Sports Illustrated's Los Angeles Lakers on SI crafted a league-shaking mock trade. Levine's hypothetical scenario has Fox teaming up with Los Angeles Lakers superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Full mock trade details:

Sacramento Kings receive: Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt, D'Angelo Russell, Max Christie, Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2029 first-round draft pick, a 2031 first-round draft pick, and a 2025 second-round draft pick

LA Lakers receive: De'Aaron Fox and Kevin Huerter

The Kings helping their division rival become NBA title favorites is very unlikely, but it is possible that Sacramento's front office does not care as much about that since they are not competing for a championship anyway.

Fox teaming up with James and Davis in LA would be an unstoppable trio, and would certainly elevate the Lakers despite their 16-13 start to the season.

The Kings bringing in 26-year-old Austin Reaves and 28-year-old D'Angelo Russell as the centerpieces of this trade is not ideal, but 21-year-old Max Christie and 25-year-old Jarred Vanderbilt are a bit more interesting.

Regardless, if the Kings are shipping out Fox, the franchise should be looking to enter a full-blown rebuild. This hypothetical package does not really show how valuable of an asset Fox is, and there would be no true reason for the Kings to entertain this offer.

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