Featured Columnist IVDecember 21, 2024
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De’Aaron Fox’s agent, Rich Paul, reportedly met with Sacramento Kings general manager Monte McNair and assistant general manager Wes Wilcox before Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers to discuss Fox’s “uncertain future” in Sacramento, per The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Anthony Slater.
However, Fox has not requested a trade at this time, per that report, though “the former All-Star and his prominent agent are reading the room in Sacramento before deciding what comes next.”
For Fox—who turned down a three-year, $165 million extension offer in October—the issue is that the Kings have consistently struggled to field a true contender.
“I want to make sure that we’re in a position to try to win in the future, because that’s ultimately what I want to do,” he told Draymond Green and Baron Davis this week. “For me, it’s, are we looking like we’re continuing to get better year after year? And, are we going to be able to compete at a high level?”
The Kings are currently just 13-15 on the season, 12th in the Western Conference, and missed the playoffs last year after being eliminated in the Play-In Tournament. The young core of Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray is undoubtedly talented. Still, there are beginning to be questions about whether the current group’s upside is capped, especially since the offseason acquisition of DeMar DeRozan hasn’t led to more wins, at least to this point.
And if Fox does ultimately decide that the Kings can’t provide the title ceiling he’s seeking, Sacramento will have to consider trading him to avoid losing him for nothing in free agency after the 2025-26 season.
As Amick and Slater noted, “rival executives are monitoring the Fox situation closely and league sources say one team in particular—the San Antonio Spurs—is positioning itself to pursue the Houston native as a possible partner for Victor Wembanyama, should Fox become available. Barring a significant Kings turnaround, others are surely close behind.”
So the Kings, barring a major turnaround, almost assuredly will need to make some changes around the roster ahead of February’s trade deadline. If they can’t turn this season around, Fox’s future may ultimately rest elsewhere.
