A bombshell report a little more than a week out from the NBA’s trade deadline indicates that Sacramento Kings star De’Aaron Fox could be on the move. According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Kings are preparing to open up trade talks for their All-Star guard, although Charania noted that Fox may have a destination in mind if he were to hit the market.
“The Sacramento Kings are expected to open up talks to potentially deal All-Star De’Aaron Fox ahead of Feb. 6 trade deadline, sources tell ESPN,” Charania wrote on Twitter. “There will be plenty of suitors, but it’s believed that Fox has a target destination in mind ahead of 2026 free agency.”
Chris Haynes confirmed that there is one particular, unnamed team that Fox wants, and wrote that “Interested teams will likely be discouraged from trading for him being he’s set to become UFA in 2026.”
There had been rumors of Fox’s future in Sacramento being uncertain, but the team’s decision to fire Mike Brown and their hot stretch on the heels of that appeared to settle things down for a bit. Fox, to his credit, was adamant that he had nothing to do with the decision to let Brown go.
Fox is in the middle of another terrific season, but as Charania noted, he’s slated to hit free agency in about 16 months. He’s already declined an extension with the Kings — one that would give him $165 million over three years — as he could be eligible for a 5-year supermax worth up to $345 million by the time he can hit the open market.
On the year, Fox is averaging 25.2 points, 6.2 assists, five rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 37.3 minutes per game.