Trade season is rapidly approaching in the NBA. It unofficially began on Dec. 15, when a majority of the league becomes trade eligible after signing contracts in the summer. But for the Los Angeles Lakers, it appears that trade season — or at least NBA trade rumor season — never stops.
One player who may have his name circulated in the trade mill this January and February is De’Aaron Fox. It’s been hinted that the star guard may be looking for a change of scenery from the Sacramento Kings, and with his team having lost five games in a row and on the outside looking in of a crowded Western Conference postseason picture, it perhaps wouldn’t be crazy to see him ask out.
That hasn’t happened yet, but rumors have begun over what teams might have interest in Fox, and vice-versa. Of course, the Lakers are one of those teams, according to Tim McMahon via The Hoop Collective on ESPN:
“If he does ask out, San Antonio and Houston—keep an eye on those two. I’ve heard Lakers, but it’s hard for me to tell how much of that is just people jumping to conclusions because he’s a Klutch client. And then I’ve heard Miami with the Bam [Adebayo] connection there.”
Fox has one year remaining after this one on the designated rookie extension he signed back in 2021. He is making $34.8 million this season and $37.1 million next season before becoming an unrestricted free agent. If he tells the Kings that he is unwilling to re-sign or sign an extension, it may behoove the Kings to trade him now while they can still get premier value.
Compared to his production, Fox’s deal is a relative bargain. He is averaging 26.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.1 assists this season. However, with all that in mind, it may be difficult for the Lakers to land him for a myriad of reasons.
First, it’s the Kings, who do not have the best history with the Lakers and would likely be reluctant to give their best player to L.A. Second, the Lakers are unlikely to have the best available trade package. They only have two tradeable first-round picks, and in order to get to the salary match required by two first-apron teams, the Lakers must send both D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura, which requires the Kings to be interested in either player.
But, of course, all of the math changes if Fox says he wants to go to L.A. and nowhere else. That hasn’t been the case yet, but the situation in Sacramento is surely going to continue being monitored.
Rui Hachimura grateful to play & win for Lakers on Christmas Day
NBA games on Christmas Day are a tradition that has been going on for a very long time and it is pretty much a guarantee that the Lakers will be taking the court every year. This year saw the Lakers pick up a huge road win over the Golden State Warriors and Rui Hachimura played a big role in the team’s success.
With Anthony Davis spraining his ankle in the first quarter and never returning, Hachimura had to play a lot of minutes at center and he held his own, knocking down 5-of-7 3-pointers to finish with 18 points. But most important to Hachimura was the win, especially on Christmas.
Following the victory, Hachimura spoke about how he is grateful to be able to play on Christmas with this Lakers team and that getting the win made it worth not being able to spend the holiday with their families.
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