Did the Kings get more for De'Aaron Fox than the Mavericks received for Luka Doncic?

A few massive trades went down in the NBA over the weekend. The Dallas Mavericks trading Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 LAL first-round pick was the biggest of the weekend, as no one saw the deal coming.

Sacramento, Chicago, and San Antonio also got in on the action in a three-team trade, with the Spurs getting De'Aaron Fox and Jordan McLaughlin, the Bulls getting Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, and their own 2025 first-round pick back from the Spurs, while the Kings got Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, three first-round picks (2025 via Charlotte is lottery protected, becomes two second-round pick if not conveyed; 2027 via Spurs; 2031 via Minnesota), and three second-round picks.

Is it conceivable that the Kings got a better trade package back for De'Aaron Fox than the Mavericks received for Luka Doncic? Let's take a closer look at it.

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic drives to the hoop between Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray and guard De'Aaron Fox in the second quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

First, a quick comparison of the two players.

Luka Doncic is 25 years old and has made five All-NBA First-Teams. Doncic wanted to stay in Dallas and never asked to be traded. Doncic would've been eligible to sign a five-year supermax contract extension this offseason, but he is seen as one of the three best players in the NBA when healthy. Doncic has been to the NBA Finals in 2024 and the Western Conference Finals in 2022.

De'Aaron Fox is 27 years old and has made one All-NBA Third-Team. Fox asked for a trade with a specific destination in mind, which was quickly established to be the Spurs. Fox is also eligible to sign an extension this offseason, but he's a borderline top-30 player in the NBA, and not everyone would want to give him a max contract. Fox has been to the playoffs once and lost in the first round as the 3-seed.

Doncic was sent with Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris, and a 2025 second-round pick (re-routed to Utah) in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 LAL first-round pick. Davis, when healthy, is a top 10 player in the NBA. His two-way impact is immeasurable. Staying on the court has always been his biggest issue, though. He's played in more than 65 games just once in the last seven seasons, and he's turning 32 years old in a month. Max Christie is a solid young 3&D player on a palatable contract and has started more than half of the games for the Lakers this season. The 2029 first-round pick will likely be traded again soon if I had to guess. It's not a terrible package at first glance, but when players like Mikal Bridges go for five first-round picks, this is egregious.

Fox was basically sent out for Zach LaVine, who had one year plus a player option left on his contract, worth around $95 million over the two years. It's hard to imagine he'd decline his option. He's not worth the $46 million he'll make next season, but he's played much better this season and been available. The Spurs 2027 first and the 2031 Timberwolves likely won't be too valuable, but second-round picks have more value than ever, and they got a boatload of those.

For the player Fox is, Sacramento definitely got more of their money's worth than Dallas got, although not too much more. For the type of player Doncic, he should've gone for much more than the Mavericks received.

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