Two of arguably the most disappointing franchises this season are the Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks. It has been more of unexpected for the Knicks because they were the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference last season, but they have currently dropped to 12th. Tom Thibodeau is running out of options and possible combinations in his rotation, thus making them one of the teams in dire need of a shakeup before the trade deadline.

The focus and production of franchise star Julius Randle has dwindled ever since he was booed when the Knicks were down big against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden. Randle was rumored to unfollow the team's social media page recently as his numbers have drastically been miserable from his Most Improved Year last year. With that in mind, they could try and negotiate a massive deal in bringing Kentucky point guard De'Aaron Fox to the Big Apple.

3 perfect trade Knicks must offer Kings for De'Aaron Fox

Fournier, Walker, Toppin

It seems inevitable for Evan Fournier to be included in any deal for the salaries to match because Fox just recently signed a long term max extension with the Kings. With Buddy Hield likely to be traded as well, Fournier could be a viable replacement because of his streaky outside shooting prowess. Moreover, Walker could be more effective on a role in the second unit playing behind Tyrese Haliburton.

For Walker to rekindle some of his best days, he may need less minutes and a slow progression from coach Alvin Gentry. Additionally, the pressure will be far less in Sacramento compared to New York for both Fournier and Walker. For Fox, he would be an incredible guard who can run the offense with a fellow Kentucky alumnus alongside him in Randle. Shooting will continue being an issue for the Knicks, so that is another obvious challenge for New York to address front office before February 10.

Fournier, Burks, Robinson

This second trade would be more ideal for the Sacramento side of things, but this would only be plausible if the Knicks believe they will not be able to resign Mitchell Robinson in the offseason. Robinson is due for a huge payday, but the Knicks may not be willing to give him the deal he expects. If that is the case, they could try including him in a Fox deal, but they must request for more compensation like Terence Davis or a future first round pick.

Richaun Holmes has looked frustrated and demoralized with his recent struggles, so having Robinson on the fold could improve their front court woes. The Knicks will sacrifice losing two rotational wings, but it will open up more minutes for youngsters like Quentin Grimes, Immanuel Quickley, and Cam Reddish. New York is one of the few teams that could improve on their performance by trading some rotational pieces. Their roster is crowded, and Thibodeau could utilize some new guys who could fit the system he is continually imparting.

Randle, salary fillers (e.g. Arcidiacono)

A one-for-one swap would not be possible because of the massive extension of Fox, so the Knicks would need to include a salary filler for the deal to materialize. From the Knicks viewpoint, this deal must be offered if Randle formally requests for a trade, and they have no other team interested in his services for the next four and a half seasons. Having Fox instead of Randle does not move the needle as it would open up playing time for Obi Toppin but their backcourt rotation would remain crowded.

The worst-case situation for the Knicks could possibly derail their future in the Thibodeau era. The acquisition of Fox is high risk, high reward experiment, but there is the chance for Thibodeau to maximize Fox's talent by utilizing similarly to how he did it with Derrick Rose in his peak years with the Chicago Bulls. Also, one glaring weakness in Fox's arsenal has been his defense, and Thibodeau would be the perfect man to mentor him in enhancing his performance at that end of the court.

This season has been a disaster for the Knicks organization, but they could remain optimistic as some of their assets would be enticing to some franchises like the Kings. The front office led by Leon Rose should just execute some brilliant trades in the process of having a positive mindset for the Knicks to salvage a play-in spot at the very least.