ESPN's lead NBA insider, Shams Charania, dropped a bomb on the basketball community on a Tuesday afternoon. The Sacramento Kings are reportedly ready to trade De'Aaron Fox ahead of the deadline on February 6. This is a 180 from what everyone expected based on a supposed desire to extend Fox to build around him.
JUST IN: 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. There will be plenty of suitors, but it's believed that Fox has a target destination in mind ahead of 2026 free agency. pic.twitter.com/Oh3fXgZjm3
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 28, 2025
Why did the Kings change their mind on Fox?
The Kings wanted to extend the blazing point guard in the summer, but he declined, wanting to see the direction of the franchise first. They traded for DeMar DeRozan and proceeded to struggle out of the gate, leading to the firing of their coach Mike Brown.
Since then, they went on a run with Doug Christie at the helm, but apparently, that's not enough to satisfy Fox, and Sacramento is seemingly unwilling to wait for the all-star to leave them holding a bag of nothing. According to Chris Haynes, the Kings are still trying to extend Fox, but he's declined to do so, and that's what prompted this change in tune.
What makes the Spurs relevant?
According to multiple sources, if De'Aaron Fox leaves the Kings via trade, his preferred landing spot is the San Antonio Spurs. It could be an interesting couple of days in Sacramento.
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) January 28, 2025
San Antonio is in desperate need of a franchise point guard to run the show. Maximizing Victor Wembanyama will only be accomplished by putting the right players around him. A wealth of shooters are at the top of the list, alongside a point guard the opposition must respect.
Chris Paul has done his job beautifully, but there's a ceiling to the offense when he's running the show because he's not a threat to score like most guys. It allows the defense to collapse on Victor Wembanyama when he rolls to the basket, for one. But having another starter who can threaten the defense for 30 points on a given night adds an element the Spurs have been missing for years.
They have the money and assets to make a trade happen, but they also have the motivation. Wembanyama has entered MVP conversations as a sophomore, and they can get themselves into the postseason this year, gaining valuable experience for the coming dynasty.
He's young enough to grow with Vic for the next decade, and if they don't like how the pairing is going, they can pivot. That's how many draft picks they've stocked. OKC is in an admirable position, but they also face a conundrum. They have a strong team filled with talented players at every spot, and a billion picks they can't do much with except trade them for more picks later.
It will be a never-ending game of kicking the can because you only have 15 roster spots. The Spurs would be better off using some picks to trade for a good player or a couple of good players while drafting the rest. A healthy mix of both will set the team up for a long-lasting run as long as the right players are selected.
The Spurs have been at the forefront of the rumors as a suitor for Fox all season long. We know players increasingly want to play with Wembanyama, so it wouldn't be a surprise if San Antonio was the target destination. If it happens, the Silver and Black's fortunes change immediately, and the new era of winning in Alamo City will start now.