Fox + Barnes fight back! In the past three-party trade, the Kings became the only loser!

Yesterday in the regular season, the Kings lost to the Spurs 110-123 in an away game. Facing the Spurs without Wenban Yama, even though the Spurs' old player DeRozan made 12 of 15 shots and efficiently output 27 points, the Kings still struggled to win.

Looking back at this game, the Spurs with a better record should have been the side with an absolute advantage. The Spurs did once grab a double-digit lead. However, the Kings launched a counterattack in the final quarter. Westbrook + Savoy revitalized the team to chase the point difference to single digits. At the critical moment, Barnes sent an unreasonable three-pointer, which directly helped the Spurs extinguish the Kings' counterattack.

Considering that Barnes, a former Kings player, scored 20 points on 7-for-11 in this game, he also had a hint of revenge against his old owner.

For these two teams, there are many trade connections between them. The first was the Barnes trade case; after the 2024 season, the Kings committed to DeRozan, the Spurs chose to help receive the contract, and Barnes came to the Spurs.

Looking back now, the Spurs did make a lot of money in this transaction. Barnes is a top 3D with stable shooting and tough defense. The Kings originally chose to send him away in order to make room for reconstruction. The Spurs basically exchanged for this high-quality veteran without paying much price.

After that, what really stirred up the two sides was the big three-way trade between the Spurs-Kings-Bulls; judging from the team situation at the time, the Kings didn't want to lose Fox, but Fox was unwilling to renew the contract; the Bulls were eager to deal with LaVine's big contract, and the rebuilt Spurs also wanted to find a suitable outside partner for Wenban.

So the three teams reached a decision:

The Spurs got 3 first rounds + 3 second rounds + Collins + Huerter + Jones, and got Fox + McLaughlin;

the Kings got LaVine + Sissoko + 5 draft picks;

the Bulls It was to get the Spurs' future bargaining chip after clearing LaVine;

At the time, this deal was criticized by many people, and many media were criticizing the high price the Spurs paid to acquire Fox, and even thought that LaVine could be chosen; but now, the Spurs have become the final big winner.

Spread out LaVine's personal data sheet this season, averaging 22.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.6 steals per game, and his three field goal percentages were 51.1%+42.2%+88.5%.

This is still an All-Star level personal data, but combined with the team's performance, it is really embarrassing. The Kings' current regular season record is 3 wins and 11 losses, ranking last in the Western Conference.

Especially after Fox came back, the two had a head-to-head dialogue. LaVine played 24 minutes, made 3 of 7 shots, and only scored 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists. On the other hand, Fox, who was on the opposite side, took the lead after Wenban was absent. He played 34 minutes and scored 28 points and 11 assists on 11 of 20 shots. Both statistics ranked first in the team.

In the post-match interview, Kings coach Christie even directly sarcastically said:

"I will only let those who work hard to win play."

Judging from the performance of the playing time, it is not difficult to understand the intention behind the coach's words. But the problem is that this is not the first time LaVine has fallen into the team's public opinion. As early as the Bulls, he was questioned many times due to his game attitude and defensive issues. But now that the Kings have boldly taken over, they are completely following the old path of the Bulls era, and the team's future outcome is basically foreseeable.

Looking back at Fox, it seems that he is already very clear about his team status. Now he is no longer suitable for being the leader. What is more suitable for him is the championship puzzle around the core of the team. And this game against the old team is the best case. Wenbanyama has a truce, and Fox can still lead the team to victory with temporary support.

But from the Spurs' perspective, their future strategy is clear enough, and it is difficult for Fox to become the team's long-term option. The Spurs' real bet at the moment is Dylan Harper. But until Harper fully matures, Fox will continue to contribute steady value to the Spurs.

As for the Kings, their problem is not simply losing, but that they have lost completely and have no direction.

The record is at the bottom, but not bad enough; the stars look good but can't win; they want to rebuild but lack the courage to start over. This is a quite embarrassing situation.

Now look back at this three-point deal. Apart from the Bulls and Spurs, the only loser is probably the Kings.