NBA Pundit Predicts Kings To Put Star Guard on Trade Market

The Ringer expects the Sacramento Kings to shop De'Aaron Fox if the ship starts to sink.

Dec 29, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) reacts as he controls the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings and star De'Aaron Fox have been the talk of the town recently, as the franchise point guard decided to bypass a contract extension in hopes of signing a more lucrative deal next offseason.

This is not as big of a deal as it sounds, as Fox wants to get the most of his value and ensure that the Kings are moving in the right direction, and the star point guard confirmed that he wants to stay in Sacramento for the rest of his career.

De'Aaron Fox is eligible for a 5-year, $345M deal from the Kings if he makes an All-NBA team this season 🤯

This would surpass Jayson Tatum's deal ($315M) for the largest contract in NBA history 💰

(via Shams) pic.twitter.com/JSk7WFqtEA

— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) October 14, 2024

Still, some pundits around NBA media are overreacting, which takes us to a hot take from The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor: "De’Aaron Fox will become a trade target."

O'Connor admitted this was a bold take, pairing it with 35 others just like it. But, O'Connor provided an argument that attempts to back this up.

"Recently, Fox indicated he will wait to sign his extension with the Kings because he wants to see 'where we’re at' and 'if we were contending for a championship.' A spoiler alert for Fox: The Kings are not title contenders."

"And if Fox becomes supermax eligible, are we sure he’s actually worth it? They’ve been average forever with him as the team’s point guard, and he’s been painfully inconsistent at times. The Kings also just drafted another point guard in Devin Carter and added a veteran in DeMar DeRozan. This is not to say the Kings shouldn’t want Fox. But what if he could be flipped for another high-level player at a different position? Or what if he could bring back multiple high-value firsts and those assets could be flipped into something to maximize this window?"

"Point guard is the deepest position in the NBA. There aren’t many teams that need one. But I’d imagine at least six teams would be interested in Fox, including the Heat, Lakers, Magic, Nets, Spurs and Wizards. If the Kings are merely in the play-in conversation by February, then I expect we’ll get a notification on our phones saying that teams are making calls about Fox. That doesn’t mean the Kings would make a move. But it would mean they’re beginning to listen." -- Kevin O'Connor

De’Aaron Fox in Sacramento:

— 21.2 PPG
— 3.8 RPG
— 6.1 APG
— 1.4 SPG
— 47/33/74%

Top 5 in PTS, AST, STL, & 3P by a King. pic.twitter.com/YZv3vZwOEn

— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 22, 2024

It would take a lot for the Kings to even consider making calls about Fox, but it is not impossible. Sacramento has not been known to dig deep into their pockets for anybody, so if they would rather get young and cheap assets than pay Fox the supermax extension, he could hit the market.

The Kings desperately need to get back into the playoffs in 2025, especially to show Fox that this franchise has a future with him at the head. Sacramento has done a fantastic job building around Fox, acquiring stars Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan, but they still need some postseason success to show for it.

Regardless, there is a near-zero percent chance the Kings put Fox on the market.

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