Inside The Rockets

Rockets Should Trade For De'Aaron Fox, Says Bill Simmons

De'Aaron Fox could be traded by the Sacramento Kings to the Houston Rockets.

Jeremy Brener

Mar 10, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) shoots against Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (9) during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Mar 10, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) shoots against Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (9) during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Houston Rockets are in a position to make a trade for a player that can raise their ceiling soon.

A player that could do that who also may be available soon is Sacramento Kings point guard De'Aaron Fox.

The Ringer's Bill Simmons believes that the Rockets should do what they can to try and acquire Fox from the Kings.

The former All-Star point guard is averaging 26.2 points, 6.1 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Kings this season.

While trading for Fox would be an upgrade for the Rockets, it would cost a significant amount of assets. He is signed through the end of the 2025-26 season, so it likely will cost the Rockets one or two young players and at least two first-round picks.

Given how crowded the backcourt would become, Jalen Green would almost certainly have to be involved in the trade. He's Houston's best tradable asset, and once his salary jumps in the offseason, it will be comparable in a deal.

The Rockets would likely have to include either Cam Whitmore or Reed Sheppard, two recent first-round picks who find themselves coming off of the bench.

Whitmore has a higher floor, but the Rockets are incredibly high on Sheppard, so it's hard to see Houston part ways with either of them.

The Rockets have plenty of future draft capital from the Phoenix Suns, and they can incorporate a few of their picks down the line in a deal as well.

If a trade were to happen, it likely wouldn't be until the summer, but so much will change for the Rockets before then that it remains to be seen if a deal would be plausible for them and Sacramento.

Want to join the discussion? Like Rockets on SI Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Rockets news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.

Published
Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

Home/News