Three Surprise NBA Trades That Could Go Down at Trade Deadline

It’s time to expect the unexpected. 

A handful of teams will be trying to add a piece or two at next Thursday’s NBA trade deadline to become serious contenders, while others could opt to part ways with core talent as they attempt to start building something special for the future. 

Whatever happens across the league has the chance to make or break some teams’ seasons, and you can almost guarantee that there will be a number of moves that come straight out of left field. 

Here are three that could shock you the most:

Kings ship De'Aaron Fox to San Antonio

ESPN reported Tuesday that Sacramento was willing to hear offers for Fox, who has been with the Kings ever since they selected him with the fifth overall pick of the 2017 draft.

Fox, still only 27, has established himself as Sacramento’s No. 2 option behind Domantas Sabonis, and there are even nights where he ends up in the driver’s seat.

With Fox, the Kings were seemingly starting to head in the right direction, ending a 16-year playoff drought with a trip to the postseason during the 2022-23 campaign. They went 46-36 last season and now sit at 24-23—still very much in the mix to at least reach the play-in tournament.

But now it looks like Sacramento wants to change course. Plenty of teams will be getting in touch with the Kings to ask about Fox, who would likely thrive with the Spurs playing alongside Victor Wembanyama. Having Chris Paul as a mentor wouldn’t hurt, either.