With all the names that have been rumored to potentially be on the move as the NBA trade deadline quickly approaches, De’Aaron Fox would easily be the most impactful player for the Los Angeles Lakers.
On Tuesday afternoon, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Sacramento Kings are “expected to open up talks to potentially deal All-Star De’Aaron Fox ahead of Feb. 6 trade deadline.”
Charania noted that Fox will have “plenty of suitors, but it is believed that Fox has a target destination in mind ahead of 2026 free agency.”
A team that is always in the rumor mill when big-name players are talked about potentially being on the move is of course the Los Angeles Lakers.
Will Los Angeles Lakers Pursue De’Aaron Fox?
While Fox would be a name that would likely excite most Laker fans, Charania has already somewhat poured cold water on the idea of Fox joining the purple and gold as things stand.
“The only thing I can say with Rich Paul, we know he’s got LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Lakers. I’m told the Lakers are not part of that destination of choice for De’Aaron Fox, potentially. But he is now potentially entering the NBA’s trade market,” Charania said.
There is no reason to doubt what Charania is reporting because there is no one more plugged into these kinds of things. However, that doesn’t mean that the Lakers shouldn’t be putting themselves firmly in the mix for Fox between now and the trade deadline.
It has been quite clear over the past few seasons that the Lakers’ front office is reluctant to part with some of the future first-round picks that they have because those would be some of their best assets post the James and Davis era.
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While that line of thinking is understandable, there is no guarantee that those draft picks will help with a rebuild down the line anyway. This is why they shouldn’t part with them unless it’s for a player who can help you in the now and the future becomes available. A player such as Fox.
The Kings’ point guard has taken his game up a notch the last few seasons and has turned into the player people hoped he would be out of Kentucky. The one-time All-Star helped the Kings end their 17-year playoff drought in 2022-23 by getting the third seed in the Western Conference with 48 wins. In the 2023-24 season, the Kings were the nine seed and didn’t make the playoffs but still had a respectable 46-win season.
Although this season has been full of turmoil for Sacramento, Fox is averaging 25.2 points, 6.2 assists, and five rebounds. Fox would give the Lakers another reliable playmaker and maybe more importantly, a bucket getter.
While the Lakers would have to part with some role players for this deal to happen, they could retain enough shooting and perimeter defending that would be needed to contend.
Trading for Fox gives the Lakers a legit “big three” and makes them a real threat in a Western Conference that, apart from the Oklahoma City Thunder, is wide open.