Lakers among teams linked to Kings Star

The trade season is fast approaching in the NBA. It unofficially began on December 15, when a majority of the league becomes eligible for trade after signing contracts in the summer. But for the Los Angeles Lakers, trade season — or at least NBA trade rumor season — never seems to stop.

One player who may have his name circulated in the trade mill in January and February is De’Aaron Fox. It’s been suggested that the star guard might be looking for a change of scene from the Sacramento Kings, and with his team on a five-game losing streak and on the outside looking into a crowded Western Conference postseason picture, it might not be crazy to see him ask out.

That hasn’t happened yet, but rumors have started about which teams might be interested in Fox, and vice versa. Of course, the Lakers are one of those teams, according to Tim McMahon via The Hoop Collective on ESPN:

“If he asks out, San Antonio and Houston — keep an eye on those two. I’ve heard the Lakers, but it’s hard for me to say how much of that is just people jumping to conclusions because he’s a Klutch -client. And then I’ve heard the Miami with the Bam (Adebayo) connection there.”

Fox has one year remaining after this on the designated rookie extension he signed back in 2021. He makes $34.8 million this season and $37.1 million next season before becoming an unrestricted free agent. If he tells the Kings that he is not willing to re-sign or sign an extension, it may be necessary for the Kings to trade him now while they can still get prime value.

Compared to his output, Fox’s deal is a relatively good deal. He is averaging 26.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.1 assists this season. But with all that in mind, it may be difficult for the Lakers to land him for a myriad of reasons.

First, it’s the Kings, who don’t have the best history with the Lakers and would likely be reluctant to give their best player to LA. Second, the Lakers are unlikely to have the best trade package available. They only have two tradable first-round picks, and to get to the salary cap required by two first-place teams, the Lakers would have to ship both D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura, requiring the Kings to be interested in both players.

But of course the whole math changes if Fox says he wants to go to LA and nowhere else. That hasn’t been the case yet, but the situation in Sacramento will certainly continue to be monitored.

Rui Hachimura grateful to play and win for Lakers on Christmas Day

NBA games on Christmas Day are a tradition that has been going on for a very long time, and it’s pretty much a guarantee that the Lakers will take the court every year. This year, the Lakers pulled off a huge road win over the Golden State Warriors, and Rui Hachimura played a big role in the team’s success.

When Anthony Davis sprained his ankle in the first quarter and never returned, Hachimura had to play a lot of minutes at center and he held his own, knocking down 5-of-7 3-pointers to finish with 18 points. But the most important thing for Hachimura was the victory, especially at Christmas.

After the win, Hachimura talked about how he’s grateful to be able to play Christmas with this Lakers team and that the win made it worth not being able to spend the holidays with their families.

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