The NBA trade market has gone from zero to 100 real quick. While the dust is still settling on the massive Luka Doncic/Anthony Davis deal, we already have our next major blockbuster. De'Aaron Fox has been traded to the Spurs in a multiteam deal, with Zach LaVine going to the Kings and the Bulls acquiring several role players. There were plenty of draft considerations in the deal as well, but in this space we'll focus on the fantasy hoops ramifications of the main principals in the deal and their new teams.
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Fox to the Spurs Fox has been rumored to the Spurs for weeks now, but the surprising twist is that the Spurs didn't give up any of their most talented perimeter players in the deal. Fox's arrival moves Chris Paul to the backup point guard slot, with Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell still starting on the wing. Fox played with even more talented scoring wings in Sacramento, so his fantasy outlook doesn't change much.
Fox is a higher-usage point guard than Paul, and more of a volume scorer as opposed to a pure floor general. The threat of Fox's offense may benefit Wembanyama, remains the centerpiece of the Spurs' offense but could face defenses that now have to account for Fox. Castle and Vassell, on the other hand, could lose scoring opportunities with Fox taking up more of the shot share.
Fox is currently 19th in the NBA in fantasy points per game, and he remains a top-20 player in San Antonio. Wembanyama is still in the conversation for the top fantasy hoops prospect in the game. Castle and Vassell remain potential flex starters in fantasy hoops leagues, while forwards Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johnson are more streaming possibilities depending on matchups and schedule.
LaVine to the Kings LaVine is the other impact player in this deal. He rejoins former running mate DeMar DeRozan on the wing in Sacramento, with Malik Monk likely sliding over to the starting point guard spot. LaVine averaged 24.0 PPG on 16.9 FGA for the Bulls this season, but he's replacing Fox, who averaged 25.0 PPG on 19.6 FGA, so in theory the Kings have room for LaVine to maintain a similar shot share. However, there is some likelihood that Monk and DeRozan increase their roles due to the vacuum left by Fox's departure. If so, LaVine's share could look more like the 15.0 FGA he averaged last season next to DeRozan and Coby White in Chicago.
Monk is likely to be the big winner of the deal in Sacramento, as he had been taking on more of a lead guard role even when playing next to Fox. With Fox gone, Monk becomes the full-time point guard for the Kings, allowing him to potentially improve on the 20.0 PPG and 7.0 APG he has averaged in his last 29 games. DeRozan, starting power forward Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis all have similar expected value after the trade as they had before. DeRozan could step up his playmaking slightly, and Sabonis could lean more into the distributing aspect of his game that makes him one of the league leaders in triple-doubles every season.
Monk is averaging 46.2 FP/G for the last month, about 10 points above his season average, and that would slot into the top 15-20 in the NBA among season-long averages. That top-20 valuation is reasonable for Monk as the full-time point guard for the Kings. LaVine was scoring more heavily in the last month, but his season-long average of 39.4 FP/G was good for 41st in the NBA, and he still projects as a top-50 player in Sacramento.
The Bulls In this deal, the Bulls received power forward/center Zach Collins, point guard Tre Jones and wing Kevin Huerter. Of the three, Huerter is the one to maybe keep an eye on to potentially revive his fantasy hoops value in Chicago. Huerter has proven to be a viable shooter-scorer in the past, but had seen his minutes decrease in Sacramento. However, the Bulls also have a deep backcourt, even with LaVine gone, so both Hueter and Jones will have an uphill climb to get significant minutes in Chicago.
The biggest winners in this deal for the Bulls, fantasy hoops wise, are likely Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu. Dosunmu looks to be the starting small forward moving forward, and his offensive numbers are significantly better as a starter (14.1 PPG, 49.8 FG%, 5.3 APG, 1.8 3PG) than off the bench (10.1 PPG, 45.2 FG%, 3.7 APG, 1.1 3PG). White's offensive averages in eight games without LaVine this season (20.6 PPG, 5.6 APG) were clearly better than when LaVine was present (17.9 PPG, 4.4 APG).
Moving forward, White projects as a top-50 fantasy hoops prospect with Dosunmu fringe top-100.
