Fox, Haliburton lead Kings over Cavaliers

De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton turned in sensational performances to help the Kings end a long road trip with a win in Cleveland while trade winds began to swirl back in Sacramento.

Fox scored 30 points and Haliburton had a career-high 28 to lead the Kings to a 119105 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Haliburton made 11 of 15 from the field and 4 of 5 from 3-point range, breaking free from his funk after shooting just 34% from the field and 25% from 3-point range over the previous six games.

Richaun Holmes recorded his 16th double-double of the season for the Kings (1825), who went 3-3 during their six-game road trip. Holmes finished with 17 points and 16 rebounds. Buddy Hield had 19 points and six rebounds.

JaVale McGee came off the bench to post 18 points and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers (16-27), who had won two of their last three games with victories over the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors. Collin Sexton and Darius Garland were held to a total of 32 points on 12-of-30 shooting.

During the game, the Kings finalized an agreement to acquire Mfiondu Kabengele, a future second-round pick and cash from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for a protected future second-round pick, sources told The Sacramento Bee. Sources said the second-round picks are heavily protected and unlikely to convey. The Kings used a trade exception that would have expired Monday.

Kabengele, 23, is a 6-foot-9, 250-pound power forward from Florida State. He was the No. 27 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He has appeared in 35 games over two seasons for the Clippers, averaging 2.0 points and 0.6 rebounds in 4.5 minutes per game.

Marvin Bagley III remains out with a fractured fourth metacarpal in his left hand, but his name came up in multiple reports Monday as Thursday’s trade deadline neared.

Sources told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports the Detroit Pistons turned down a proposal that would have sent Bagley to Detroit in exchange for Saddiq Bey, a promising rookie small forward from Villanova. The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported the Kings had also offered Bagley to the Atlanta Hawks in talks around John Collins, a talented 23-year-old power forward who will be a restricted free agent this summer.

The Kings couldn’t gain traction in those talks, but general manager Monte McNair will continue to explore other trade possibilities leading up to the deadline.