How De'Aaron Fox Rumor Could Impact Jazz

Utah Jazz should keep an eye on the rumblings in Sacramento.
Dec 8, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) and Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh (28) reach for a loose ball during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Dec 8, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) and Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh (28) reach for a loose ball during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

It’s no secret that the Utah Jazz are open for business as the February 6 NBA trade deadline nears. Veteran forward John Collins’ name has floated around as someone available to be had in a trade. The Sacramento Kings have been linked to Collins for a while, given his ability to space the floor for De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. The rumors of Collins going to Sacramento have intensified recently, with the Jazz fully embracing a rebuild. 

On Tuesday afternoon, though, a report from Shams Charania about Fox sent a ripple through NBA circles. 

 
Fox, who has spent his entire career with the Kings, is a few months away from being an expiring contract. With his unrestricted free agency looming and his team unable to consistently compete amongst the best of the Western Conference, it’s not surprising to see his situation take this turn. 


If Sacramento were to find a deal for Fox, it could change the landscape of John Collins’ trade market. Collins has a career year averaging 18.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, and a career-high 2.5 assists per game. He’s been incredibly efficient, shooting 53.1% from the floor, 44.6% from three, and 86.9% from the free throw line. 

He's still just 27 years old, and with those numbers, it’s obvious why the Kings would want to add him to their roster. With so many unknowns regarding the Fox situation, how comfortable would Sacramento be going after Collins? Will they look to retool around Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan or tear it down to the studs and build around Keegan Murray? 

This is not to say that Sacramento was guaranteed to go after Collins nor is it saying that they were his only suitor. As outlined earlier, John Collins is a good basketball player and a good teammate by all accounts and would help a lot of teams trying to make a postseason run. 

The tricky part of trading for Collins is his salary. He’s owed $26.5 million this year, and next, his salary is large enough that many teams don’t have the matching salaries to cobble together to satisfy the trade rules. For Sacramento, Kevin Huerter and Trey Lyles make about $25 million, with Lyles’ contract expiring at the end of the year. 

With Huerter falling out of Sacramento’s rotation, a swap seemed like a match made in heaven. Sacramento would get a rotational upgrade to help them climb the ladder in the steep Western Conference, and the Jazz would shed their salary for next year and get draft compensation to help with their rebuild. With the news of Fox possibly working his way out of Sacramento, we’ll have to wait and see how the repercussions affect the Utah Jazz.

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Alex White
ALEX WHITE

Alex White is in his first year covering the Utah Jazz and NBA. His analytical expertise is in the field of the NBA draft and all things Jazz.