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The Los Angeles Lakers will have difficult decisions to make before the trade deadline. Are they willing to move assets for an upgrade if it means they’d have a chance to win a championship? Do they trust Anthony Davis and an aging LeBron James to still be good enough to win it all?
Only time will tell, but if the Lakers are willing to offer their top assets, they should be able to get a good player in return.
Matt Levine of Sports Illustrated put together a package that would see the Lakers move all of their top assets for De’Aaron Fox, a move that could help win a championship but also put plenty of risk in their future.
Sacramento Kings would get: 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
Lakers would get: Fox and Kevin Huerter
“Moving all of this for Fox would be a risk but Los Angeles could put another star around Davis and James. Fox has all the tools to succeed with the Lakers and he could take some offensive burden off James in his final years.
“Fox could run the offense for the Lakers and would give them another star to build around when James eventually retires… Landing Huerter as well would help the Lakers’ 3-point shooting. Huerter has been one of the better knockdown shooters in the league and could do well with James getting him the ball for his shot attempts,” Levine wrote on December 20.
Rich Paul Putting Pressure on Kings Front Office
The only way the Los Angeles Lakers would have a chance to land Fox is if the Sacramento Kings continue to play poorly or he asks to be moved.
Fox hits free agency in 2026, allowing the Kings to keep him for the remainder of the season before they’d have to seriously consider trading him.
However, his agent, Rich Paul, who also represents James and Davis, has started to put pressure on the Kings front office.
According to Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Paul was recently in Sacramento to discuss the Kings’ plans moving forward, a good sign for the Lakers if they want to trade for him.
“League sources say Paul — who sat next to Fox’s wife, Recee, throughout the 113-100 loss that dropped the Kings to 13-15 and 12th in the West — was in Sacramento to meet with general manager Monte McNair and assistant general manager Wes Wilcox before the game,” The Athletic wrote on December 21.
“The discussion, league and team sources said, was focused on an existential question that needs to be answered if this partnership that began eight seasons ago between Fox and the Kings is going to continue long term. What’s the plan here?”
Fox Wants to Win
When Fox declined a three-year, $165 million extension, he told reporters he wanted to win. He seemed to have questions about whether the Sacramento Kings could do that in October, and that issue remains.
In an episode of “The Draymond Green Show” on December 18, Fox told Green he wants to win, and his priority is to ensure the Kings are in a position to do so.
“I want to make sure that we’re in a position to try to win in the future, because that’s ultimately what I want to do,” Fox said. “For me, it’s ‘Are we looking like we’re continuing to get better year after year, and ‘Are we going to be able to compete at a high level?”
The Los Angeles Lakers’ future is in question, with James and Davis only getting older, but they’re the Lakers. At the end of the day, the Lakers are a hot spot for free agents and shouldn’t have too much of an issue improving their roster when the time comes.
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