How Kings have been thriving since trading away their franchise player

The Kings got Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls in the Fox deal. Since coming to the Kings, a team that tried to sign LaVine seven years ago, he is averaging 22.5 points and shooting 50.3 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. Last week, he was voted Player of the Week for averaging 28 points in the Kings' three-game winning streak, then scored 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting when Sacramento made it four straight against the Dallas Mavericks.

A smaller move has also been crucial for the Kings after Domantas Sabonis strained his hamstring two games ago. But Jonas Valanciunas has filled in admirably at center, putting up 29 points and 23 rebounds in the big man's absence, while blocking five shots and delivering crushing screens.

All it cost Sacramento to add Valanciunas was two second-round picks, one of which they obtained in the Fox trade. Adding Valanciunas allowed them to swap backup center Alex Len and little-used guard Colby Jones for Jake LaRavia. He had a slow start, but he's started to find his shot, and the Kings have outscored opponents by 40 points in LaRavia's minutes during their win streak.

Another recent boost comes from getting the old version of Keegan Murray back — and not the version of their third-year forward who shot 28.5 percent from three-point range. Since Jan. 1, Murray is playing like the guy who set the rookie record for three-pointers in a season, making 2.4 triples per game at a 39.7 percent clip. He's also been Sacramento's best frontcourt defender.

All the changes might not make up for losing an All-Star like Fox in his prime. But the Kings have pivoted well, giving themselves a real chance at a top-six seed and avoiding the play-in tournament. When you trade a franchise player in the middle of the season, that's a pretty good outcome.