Dust settled for another disappointing season after the Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls traded the best players.
Before the NBA trade deadline in February, the Chicago Bulls were expected to trade Zach Labine, and the Sacramento Kings were expected to move from Dearon Fox. Both moves usually indicate the start of a rebuild, but both teams tried to send competitive teams after three teams were signed.
The San Antonio Spurs emerged as clear winners and received Daron Fox and Jordan McLaughlin. Meanwhile, the Bulls added Zack Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Harter and a first-round pick in 2025. Sacramento ended with Zack Lavine and Size Scissoko. This is a first round pick through the Charlotte Hornets, and is not reported this year.
All three teams involved in the trade missed the playoffs, but the winner of the Kings and Bulls swap has been revealed.
Spurs general manager Brian Wight can laugh at the road to summer. He gives the King who doesn’t tell this year a first round pick, instead turning it into two future second round picks. Essentially, for an All-Star Point Guard paired with Victor Wenbagnama, he gave up two role players, two round picks and two first round picks, but the Spurs still have a chest to move forward.
The Spurs are expected to play the playoffs next year, with the title being competing for more than a decade. Meanwhile, the Kings and Bulls have both lost in play-in tournaments, and there is actually no future worth celebrating.
Both the Kings and the Bulls may have requested a future package. Sacramento reportedly put no pressure on the Spurs, giving up Rookie of the Year Stephen Castle and has their inactive core under contract until at least next season.
Meanwhile, the Bulls are still interested in expanding Josh Giddy this offseason, and have a middle round pick that was originally theirs in the 2025 draft. If the Bulls can land a star on that pick, the deal is at least an excuse, but their track record suggests they will go through the offseason where their front offices line up.
Before the trade, both the Kings and Bulls were poised to create a play-in tournament. Nothing changed after the transaction. The king would have easily seen Demar Delozan and Zac Ravine come as they had already been paired with an offensive centre. Swap red and white for purple and black, and swapping Domantas Sabonis and Nikola Vucevic will not change much.
Meanwhile, the Bulls have voided themselves from their biggest contract, but will give Giddey a similar amount.
At the end of the day, nothing had changed for the king or the bull. The Spurs were also able to secure a franchise point guard next to the talent of their generation.
Deals like Lavine One are clear reminders to fans of why some franchises simply step on the water for over a decade. The Spurs were a winning franchise, making a winning move, and with the exception of Michael Jordan’s time, the Bulls were largely standing in their own way. The king is the same.