Rumors: De'Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton Are Available for Trade?

When the 2021-2022 season began, the Sacramento Kings thought they were in a favorable position to compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference with

When the 2021-2022 season began, the Sacramento Kings thought they were in a favorable position to compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference with their young core pieces, De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton, running the show.

But as we're now nearly halfway through the season, the Kings are quickly starting to realize that they need to make some roster changes before they are left way out of the playoff picture months from now.

So far this season, the Kings have been off to an underwhelming start. Not only have they fired their head coach already, but they've won just 16 of their 41 games this year. While they were reluctant to trade a player like Fox or Haliburton early on in the year, Sam Amick of The Athletic speculates that their strategy might've shifted at this point.

Are Fox and Haliburton Available?

The Kings haven't become sellers as the trade deadline approaches. Despite their rough start to the season, Sacramento is very much still intrigued with the idea that they can go on a run for the playoffs by making the right roster moves.

And if it takes one of Fox or Haliburton to put them in a more favorable position for this postseason, the Kings might consider making a blockbuster deal.

"They’re still highly motivated to make the kind of significant move(s) that would both bolster their postseason chances in the present while giving them a runway for sustained success in the future. More specifically, sources say Kings owner Vivek Ranadive has continued to make it clear to McNair that he has the green light to do whatever is necessary to meet those goals. And while the Kings would prefer to keep building around De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton, their strong appetite to improve means that no player is off the table in terms of potential talks."

The chances of Sacramento moving Fox or Haliburton likely remain slim at this time, considering they aren't eager to split the young backcourt duo up.

However, if the Kings can find a serious suitor for Fox or Haliburton, they'll be open to discussing a deal, which wasn't the case before.

Sacramento will certainly be open for business if the Sixers value Fox or Haliburton in a possible Ben Simmons trade. However, Philadelphia will likely continue to see how the Simmons saga plays out while keeping their eye on Portland and Washington before the trade deadline.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.