NBA Insider Reveals Kings' Preferred Trade Package for De'Aaron Fox
![Jan 16, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) points his finger in the air after a play against the Houston Rockets during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center. Jan 16, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) points his finger in the air after a play against the Houston Rockets during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2619,h_1473,x_0,y_370/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/inside_the_kings/01jjskw8rbnex0a25sm4.jpg)
The Sacramento Kings are reportedly expected to open up trade talks regarding star point guard De'Aaron Fox before the February 6th trade deadline, per Shams Charania | ESPN.
Fox has spent eight years in Sacramento and earned an All-Star and third-team All-Pro bid for the 2022-23 season. The Kings have failed to win a playoff series during his stay, leading to trade talks through his agent Rich Paul and Klutch Sports.
According to Charania, Fox's preferred landing destination is the San Antonio Spurs, where he would team up with young prodigy Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs' current point guard is Chris Paul, who may retire and hand the reigns over to Fox.
"The Kings have gotten dozens of phone calls, dozens of offers," said Charania on ESPN's First Take. "[De'Aaron Fox] has not shown a willingness to sign long term... In a lot of ways this is the Kings getting ahead of what's coming in the offseason."
"League sources tell me that the San Antonio Spurs are De'Aaron Fox's preferred destination." 😲 @ShamsCharania with the latest on the Sacramento Kings being open to trade De'Aaron Fox. pic.twitter.com/O63Xh0m4wm
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 29, 2025
Fox turned down a contract extension in the summer of 2024 as a way to bet on himself. If he succeeds and makes an All-Pro team, he could be eligible for the super-max contract to stay with the Kings. If the Kings don't win, he can escape after a long eight years and find a new home that looks better suited to win a championship.
"The Kings... they've said they want win-now players, they want draft capital," said Charania.
Asking for "win-now players" would mean the Kings are still dedicated to their core of Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan. Considering that Fox still has a year and a half on his contract, the Kings have some leverage to trade for more capital.
Multiple first-round picks and multiple starting-caliber players would be necessary in any trade. Three team deals could come into question to help make ends meet if the Kings can't come to an agreement with the Spurs or any individual team.
🚨 De’Aaron Fox wants to be traded to the Spurs
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) January 28, 2025
He wants to play with Wemby 👀 pic.twitter.com/KPGcTRlPwY
Fox's future contract situation is a hot topic between teams as they want to know if he'll sign an extension with his trade destination. If he doesn't commit, his trade value could shoot down. If he is traded, Fox would be ineligible for a super-max contract.
If anything, the Kings can test the open waters and hold preliminary talks with teams that may be interested this summer. It would be best to move Fox sooner, as his value decreases by the day.
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