The San Antonio Spurs traveled to face the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, which was notable because of the return to Sacramento of De'Aaron Fox after being involved in a three-team trade earlier this season.

When the San Antonio Spurs traded for De'Aaron Fox in early February, it was expected that the point guard would immediately become Victor Wembanyama 's running mate. While the two could still very easily have a long-term partnership, Wembanyama being shut down for the season did stop any immediate success in its tracks.

After spearheading the Kings' most successful season in nearly 2 decades, De'Aaron Fox returns to Sacramento as the Spurs' lead guard.

The San Antonio Spurs traveled to face the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, a matchup that, at the start of the season, would've been seen as just a typical Western Conference contest. However, it meant more Friday as it was the first return to Sacramento for Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox since being dealt in early February.

Fox, drafted by the Kings in 2017, spent seven and a half seasons in Sacramento, developing into the face of the franchise. He played a key role in their short-lived resurgence, leading the team to the NBA playoffs two seasons ago—their first postseason appearance since 2005-06.

De’Aaron Fox spent much of his time in Sacramento as the fan favorite and face of the Kings franchise that ended a record-long playoff drought and brought much-needed joy to what had been a downtrodden team.

Following his most recent game, Spurs star De'Aaron Fox admitted that a procedure regarding his finger injury may come in March.

De'Aaron Fox's return on Friday will represent a goodbye to the Kings' recent past. What drove the young star and organization to break up?