Embrace the tank: 3 surrender trades Kings can make to ensure they land Cooper Flagg

The Sacramento Kings are 13-17, which puts them 2.5 games out of the final Play-In spot in a loaded Western Conference. We are rapidly approaching the Danger Zone in Sacramento, with De'Aaron Fox's future taking center stage in the latest trade rumors.

Fox has not requested a trade, per Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic, but Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul recently met with Kings leadership to discuss the long-term plan and vision in Sactown. Fox, under contract through next season, has made his love for the city and the franchise evident, but he also wants to win. He made that plain as day in a recent appearance on Draymond Green's podcast — another Klutch client, by the way.

Here's what Fox said when asked about recently declining a contract extension in Sacramento:

"It all has to do with the team, the organization, where are we going. I want to make sure that we’re in a position to try and win in the future because that’s ultimately what I want to do. I know I’ll make enough money regardless of where I play or what I do, I’m going to be fine." (h/t MSN)

If the Kings can't turn this around — and there are only so many avenues to improving an expensive roster like Sacramento's — we could be approaching the point of no return. If this does come down to a complete teardown, it's best to engage sooner than later, as Fox is more valuable with 1.5 years of guaranteed service on his contract than just one.

So... let's blow it up.

Subscribe to The Whiteboard, FanSided's daily email newsletter on everything basketball. If you like The Whiteboard, share it with a friend! If you don't like it, share it with an enemy! 

3. Kings can send DeMar DeRozan to star-hunting 76ers

This is outside the box and deeply improbable, but... the financials check out, and Daryl Morey has never been afraid to swing big. The Philadelphia 76ers are their own brand of desperate and could see logic in targeting another star engine such as DeMar DeRozan, who has experience working alongside Nick Nurse.

This probably isn't the wisest move for Philadelphia, to be frank, but with so much injury uncertainty surrounding Joel Embiid and Paul George, one might find logic in adding another floor-raising offensive engine like DeRozan, who can still scale up and shoulder a primary offensive burden when necessary.

Is DeRozan the cleanest fit as the fourth option in a fully healthy 76ers lineup? Maybe not. The defense is a concern. But, he's still DeMar DeRozan, one of the most steadfast NBA stars of the last decade. The dude remains razor-sharp as a mid-range shot-maker and wing creator.

Keon Ellis, more than a throw-in, gives Philadelphia a high-level, two-way role-playing wing to fill the voids left by KJ Martin, Caleb Martin, and Kelly Oubre. Alex Len replaces Andre Drummond. And, meanwhile, the Kings get four manageable, short-term contracts and a mountain of cap relief to send them into the future.

2. Kings can send Domantas Sabonis to star-hungry Warriors

The Golden State Warriors have been trying and failing to land an All-Star since the summer. Lauri Markkanen, Paul George, and Karl-Anthony Towns all passed them by. Jimmy Butler is up for grabs, but trading for a 35-year-old in the final year of his contract might not be the best move available to Golden State.

Domantas Sabonis hasn't popped up in trade rumors yet, but with Sacramento toiling below .500 and Sabonis at the root of past postseason shortcomings, it feels like only a matter of time until he does become prominent in those conversations. No team better understands Sabonis' strengths and weaknesses — especially on the postseason stage — than Golden State. That's why the Warriors should be plenty interested.

There are understandable detractors when it comes to Sabonis, but at a certain point, his floor-raising qualities are just impossible to deny. Just look at the production. He's averaging 21.1 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 6.0 assists on .603/.418/.791 splits and that is the norm. Sabonis is a regular season machine, dominating mismatches in the post, facilitating offense from the elbow, and inhaling rebounds on both ends. The Warriors would benefit not only from another go-to scorer and interior presence but from the immediate chaos Sabonis-Curry actions would plunge opposing defenses into.

Sabonis absolutely adds to Golden State's regular season win total and boosts its standing in a rough-and-tumble West. Now, does Sabonis' game hold up as well on the postseason stage? Maybe not, but the Warriors have an elite defensive backbone in Draymond Green and a battle-tested offensive scheme to rely on. Sabonis has never played with a space-bending, defense-shattering star like Stephen Curry. That should be an extremely beneficial partnership on both sides.

The Warriors are running out of time to squeeze something out of Steph's final years. This should do the trick.

1. Kings can give Spurs their long-awaited point guard in De'Aaron Fox

Among the teams interested in De'Aaron Fox, per The Athletic report, are the San Antonio Spurs. It's an incredibly obvious fit, with the Spurs looking for a star table-setter next to Victor Wembanyama. The next step in Wemby's ascent probably coincides with San Antonio's first major upgrade at point guard. Fox is a dream candidate.

At 27, Fox should have several prime years left in the tank, with a chance to grow alongside Wembanyama for the foreseeable future. The Spurs don't have too much money on the books, which makes extending Fox a simple proposition, assuming the All-Star point guard is up for it.

Fox's 3-point shooting has regressed after last season's explosion, but he's still a tier-one athlete with arguably the best first step in basketball. Able to apply constant pressure on the rim, Fox creates advantages and continues to find new ways to exploit them, whether it's a potent mid-range pull-up or an always-expanding awareness of his teammates. The Fox-Wemby pick-and-roll would be easy money for the next five years at least.

The Spurs are already hovering in the Play-In range with a makeshift roster around their sophomore superstar. Wembanyama is the best defender in the NBA and a dominant offensive force, despite well-documented shortcomings. Fox would make life easier, spoon-feeding the 7-foot-4 wunderkind more easy looks at the rim or clean catch-and-shoot 3s. This is a fun possibility, to be sure.