Nets Should Stray Away From De'Aaron Fox Trade Amid Reports

Brooklyn is reportedly eyeing Fox, but trading for the star would do more harm than good.
Jan 27, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) reacts against Brooklyn Nets forward Jalen Wilson (22) during the second quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Jan 27, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) reacts against Brooklyn Nets forward Jalen Wilson (22) during the second quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The NBA world was hit with a bombshell yesterday, as according to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Sacramento Kings have officially opened up trade talks regarding star point guard De'Aaron Fox. The 27-year-old is averaging 25.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.

The Brooklyn Nets are a team reportedly eyeing Fox, as the Kings have since moved on from talks regarding Nets veteran Cameron Johnson. Now that Fox is expected to be moved, Sacramento has no desire to acquire win-now talent.

Brooklyn has built up a significant amount of draft capital over the last two years. The Nets got a haul of first-round picks by trading James Harden, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Mikal Bridges, dating from September 2022 to June 2024. Not to mention, they followed that up by getting their pick back from the Houston Rockets for the 2025 NBA Draft.

In the 2024-25 regular season, Brooklyn moved veterans Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith for a multitude of second-round picks, so all in all, the Nets have one of the best pools of draft capital in the league. This makes them a contender for Fox, especially now that he's a target.

However, the Nets would be setting the franchise back for the long term if they were to acquire Fox. They need to stay focused on the rebuild and should not give in to the pressure of immediately going after a star.

Fox is 27, so he's not a young talent and likely does not have an interest in joining a rebuild. He's already established himself as one of the best point guards in the league, but Brooklyn does not have the supplementary talent to compete with the Eastern Conference, let alone the NBA.

If the Nets end up trading a haul for him, who would they have to back him up?

The point guard is expected to hit free agency in 2026, and according to Evan Sidery of Forbes, the San Antonio Spurs and Fox hold mutual interest in a partnership. Ideally, the Spurs are the leading team in the sweepstakes.

Even if Brooklyn trades for Fox, there's a good chance he'd be unhappy moving to a worse short-term situation. That would point to him signing elsewhere in 2026.

The Nets need to stay the course. Rebuilds take time, and general manager Sean Marks should know to stray away from trading everything for a star. Focus on drafting and developing, and then go from there.

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