NCAA.com bracket reporter Wayne Staats compares the levels of difficulty in predicting the men’s and women’s NCAA tournament brackets.The San Antonio Spurs were always thought to be the preferred trade destination of De’Aaron Fox, but he went a step forward in his public comments to indicate there was no list of other teams.
“There was no f—ing list,” Fox said. “There was one team. I wanted to go to San Antonio. So, a lot of people are mad at me, saying I handcuffed the team by giving them a destination. Well, this is my career. If anybody else is in my position, you’d do the same thing. It’s not my job to help build your team. I’m not about to just go where they want me to go. I wanted to have a destination.”
Fox was traded by the Sacramento Kings less than one week after reports surfaced that they would entertain a deal for him. The Kings had approached Fox’s agent, Rich Paul, on January 27th that they would listen to offers. Paul informed Fox and then the Kings sought him out in his hotel room to formally tell him.
“We’re sitting there trying to have the conversation, but I know what he’s about to tell me because Rich had already told me,” said Fox, who didn’t reveal which member of the organization he spoke with. “A reporter calls trying to break the story, but mind you, our GM hasn’t told me yet. So, it had already been told, even before I was told by our team.”
Follow along all tournament long for updates on the 2025 SEC men’s basketball tournament.Domantas Sabonis is expected to seek clarity about the Sacramento Kings’ plans in the offseason, sources tell The Athletic. Sabonis has three more seasons and $140.3 million remaining on his contract.
Sabonis has some of the same concerns about the direction of the Kings that De’Aaron Fox had before he expressed his reluctance to commit long-term with an extension. Sources say several members of the team are curious where things are heading with the team.
“What is the vision here?” one league source close to a core Kings player said. “It feels like it could be headed toward chaos.”
When the Kings traded Fox to the San Antonio Spurs, they did hope to maintain their position in the Western Conference by acquiring Zach LaVine rather than focus on a deal with exclusively picks and young players.
LeBron James was playing at an All-NBA level even before the Los Angeles Lakers traded for Luka Doncic, but he has elevated his play even further since adding another superstar who takes on a larger role in the offense and allows him to pace himself and play off-ball as a cutter more frequently.
“They didn’t just trade for Luka,” the league exec said. “They also traded for a more engaged LeBron.”
James has also played more consistently on defense. The Lakers are the NBA’s No. 1 defense since Jan. 15, which is a considerable turnaround compared to the first 30 games when they ranked 21st.
“They have the personnel of a middle-of-the-pack defensive team but are in second place,” said one league executive. “Their scheme isn’t revolutionary, but it’s getting the job done.”
“Over the years we’ve seen a lot of teams play this way in the playoffs, they’re playing with the strategy in the regular season,” said one veteran coach whose team recently played the Lakers. “They do it by playing with great energy and with great game-plan discipline. If you’re asking me if this is sustainable, yes, I believe it is.”
The Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last season by the Denver Nuggets after losing to them in the Western Conference Finals in 2023. Now, they’re in the mix of contenders in the west right behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“I think they’re a championship-level team,” said a Western Conference executive. “They’re in that upper echelon.”
