De’Aaron Fox might not be happy with the general direction of the Sacramento Kings. His decision to not sign a contract extension raised some eyebrows around the league this past off-season, and it was said that the point guard wanted to monitor the long-term plan for the team before making a commitment. Now, thanks to a rough start to the 2024-25 campaign for the Kings, rival NBA executives are now monitoring the situation.
Rival NBA Teams Monitoring De’Aaron Fox’s Situation In Sacramento
According to a report by Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Fox’s agent Rich Paul was in Sacramento this past week. The CEO of Klutch Sports came to town to have a discussion with the Kings’ front office, of which the focus was the immediate and long-term future of the team. This comes on the heels of a podcast interview in which Fox said that he loved the city, but ultimately wants to be in a place where he can be a winner in the league.
Sources: De’Aaron Fox’s agent, Klutch Sports founder Rich Paul, met with the Kings front office before Thursday’s game to discuss the uncertain road ahead.
Much more here, with @anthonyVslater, at @TheAthletic https://t.co/FG9OQfLheW
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) December 21, 2024
The Athletic’s report went on to say that while Fox hasn’t demanded a trade, there are teams around the NBA that are keeping an eye on things in Sacramento. It even went as far as to name a potential destination.
The San Antonio Spurs are one of the franchises that would be interested in exploring a De’Aaron Fox trade. The team is actively looking to bring in a star player to pair with Victor Wembanyama, and Fox figures to be a target given his age, experience, and skill set.
Can Kings Turn Things Around This Year?
A big turnaround for the Kings is needed if they hope to keep their centerpiece point guard around for the future. After an impressive turnaround during the 2022-23 season that saw Sacramento break its 16-year playoff drought, the team missed the playoffs last year, and has limped out to a 13-15 record so far in 2024, good enough for 12th place in the Western Conference. The team was able to lure DeMar DeRozan and keep Malik Monk around this past off-season, but the formula has simply not been successful for the Kings during the first two months of the current campaign.
As bad as things may seem, the Kings are a successful week or two from being right back in the mix in the West. Just 2.5 games separate them from the 6th seed, and 4.5 behind the 4th spot. According to The Athletic’s piece, Sacramento ranks 11th in the NBA in net rating, and are the only team in the top-17 with a losing record.
