After watching De'Aaron Fox and the Spurs defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Christmas Day, what the Sacramento Kings lost by trading him became more evident than ever. Now, what they didn't get is even more disheartening. They lost an incredible point guard and were left with none.
The Kings really have no idea what they are doing
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) December 26, 2025
How in the world did they not at least get Stephon Castle for this guy
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Fox came to play against the Thunder in his NBA Christmas debut. His Spurs have now defeated the defending champions three times in December, setting them up to be the most likely team to block the Thunder from collecting their second championship. They are the only team with that record.
The rise of the Spurs can be attributed in part to De'Aaron Fox being their starting point guard. Last season's three-team trade that brought Zach LaVine to the Kings also sent Fox to the Spurs. That trade worked out better for the Spurs than it did for the Kings, without question.
Everything the Kings lost with Fox's departure
De'Aaron Fox was the Kings' starting point guard for the better part of eight seasons. Sacramento also drafted Tyrese Haliburton at one point, but traded him for Domantas Sabonis. The goal was to focus on Fox as the main point guard. That makes sense, but Hali would have made a great backup.
Fox was their chief playmaker, running the offense through Sabonis in the paint, and their top scorer. Even though he left the Kings halfway through the season, he was still their top scorer in 2024-2025. No one else on the team was able to outscore him, even with the extra time.
Arguably more important than all of that, Fox was the face of the franchise and was incredibly popular with the fans. It was a devastating blow for the Kings to lose him, one they are still trying to recover from. A proper rebuild is their only hope at this point.
What the Kings missed in the trade
The mistake the Kings made in the three-team trade with the Spurs and Bulls was not acquiring an actual point guard to replace Fox. While LaVine is a heck of a shooter, he's not a playmaker, and that's a big part of what Sacramento is still missing almost a year later.
As pointed out in the above post, how the Spurs managed to get Fox without giving up someone like Stefon Castle is a minor miracle. It's a testament to how little thought the Kings' front office at that time put into this trade or its long-term impact on the franchise.
It's not likely that the Spurs would have parted with Castle, but the Kings giving up a great point guard with no backup plan for the position was just bad strategy. Honestly, Sacramento is lucky that things have worked out as well as they have with Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schroder.