The Sacramento Kings are somewhat unique among teams traditionally looking to trading superstars. Usually, the correct course after your best player asks to leave is to initiate a rebuild. It’s sort of a common-sense tactic. If you weren’t good enough to win at a rate that could convince that player to stay, what are the odds that you’ll do any better after they’re gone? This is part of why trade packages for players like De’Aaron Fox are typically built around draft picks. The idea is that the team landing the star improves now, and then the team giving that player away reaps the benefits later.
If the Kings were operating optimally from the perspective of championship equity, that is probably the approach they’d take. Get a haul for Fox. Cash out on Domantas Sabonis near the peak of his value. See what’s out there for DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk. Clear the decks, make a few lottery picks, and then try to get back into the playoff mix a few years down the line. But Sacramento isn’t a normal team. The Kings have made the playoffs once since 2006. This is not a team or fanbase that’s going to stomach an all-out tank after tasting success for the first time in nearly two decades. Even if they could, do you really trust the Kings to get one right?
Unsurprisingly, this means that Sacramento wants win-now pieces back for Fox, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. This poses a bit of a problem for Fox’s preferred destination, the San Antonio Spurs. San Antonio is perfectly equipped to make a standard star trade. They have more draft picks than they know what to do with and an impressive collection of young prospects headlined by No. 4 overall pick Stephon Castle. They’re in great shape to help someone rebuild. But to help them win now? That’s a tougher sell. Even with Victor Wembanyama in place, San Antonio is a sub-.500 team.
Therefore, if Fox is going to get to the Spurs as he hopes, we’re going to need a third team to bridge this gap. Fortunately, there’s a sensible one staring us in the face. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the Atlanta…
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