The Sacramento Kings drastically improved since Doug Christie took charge of the team. A resurgence looked imminent. Hence, when Charania announced De’Aaron Fox’s plans to enter the trade market, the decision stunned everyone. Additionally, there was a key detail. “Fox has a target destination in mind” the insider announced. From that moment, the attention gravitated toward the Spurs. And those rumors seem to be true.

Erich Zhang did the due diligence to report on the latest updates from the situation. According to him, the Spurs have held active conversations with “multiple teams” to open up interesting avenues for De’Aaron Fox. Surprisingly, among those teams are the Los Angeles Lakers. In a pool of players’ center, Nic Claxton, is one player they eye and the Purple and Gold are eyeing Chris Paul.

Zhang reports Lakers feel CP3 could be a piece that “legitimately pushes” the team into title talks. It was in 2011 that Paul came close to joining Kobe Bryant. However, the league vetoed the trade back then. Now, as a veteran, the ‘Point God’ could see his wishes fulfilled at last. This time, he could join the star tandem of his good friends LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

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It’s game night, and your team is playing. What’s your home setup?

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The Brooklyn Nets and the Atlanta Hawks are the other two teams the Kings conversed with. Nets’ Nic Claxton and Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic are the other players who could be part of the deal. Paul’s acquisition becomes a major surprise for the Purple and Gold, whose fanbase has cried out for a center. Especially considering Anthony Davis’ public ask for a center and James pushing for a key signing.

But although well past his prime, his attributes as a floor general helped the Spurs see fascinating improvements from their previous season. The Lakers, too, will hope Paul can deploy his leadership skills and defensive acumen to bind the team together. Moreover, with nothing major to lose and a great player to gain on a $10.4 million contract, there’s no reason for the Lakers to not push the buttons.

Why are the Kings trading De’Aaron Fox?

The Kings had high aspirations when they announced the signing of DeMar DeRozan in the offseason. Under Mike Brown, it didn’t work out. However, they made the key decision to fire the former COTY. Despite its audacity, the decision seemed to satisfy Fox, considered their talisman.

Furthermore, since the announcement of his possible exit, the team’s landscape shifted drastically. DeRozan spoke about the possibility of leaving in his talks with Lou Williams. “I’m trying to maximize the opportunity we have now to play with a great team,” the seasoned guard told the former Clippers Sixth Man.

From that perspective, it seems absurd for the Kings to trade their cornerstone. However, it had to be done.

De’Aaron Fox only has another year left after this season on his $163 million extension he signed with the Kings. He doesn’t have a player option. So the pacy guard could have enjoyed another season in Sacramento. However, with his intent to leave, the Kings front office didn’t want to come to the point of losing the coveted point guard for nothing.

With half a season still in play, a great run for the Kings could have possibly changed De’Aaron Fox’s mind. In that regard, the decision does seem hasty. At the same time, having a disgruntled star in their ranks isn’t ideal for a team. Hence, the franchise is acting with precaution. The demand is ‘win-now’ pieces to ensure they remain competitive and possibly deter DeRozan from eventually leaving.

Even if they get a great return, filling the void De’Aaron Fox leaves will be challenging. The 28-year-old was on a tear this season, averaging 25.0 points and 6.1 assists.

Another risk it holds is the possibility of the franchise blowing up completely with Domantas Sabonis’ feelings still oblivious.