Kings reportedly open to De’Aaron Fox trade offers before deadline; Fox is rumored to prefer Spurs

This is another punch to the gut for Sacramento Kings fans.

Sacramento is opening up talks to potentially trade cornerstone De’Aaron Fox before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN and since confirmed by multiple reports.

In a trade season dominated by players older than 30 on massive contracts — Jimmy Butler and Bradley Beal — Fox is the kind of player who can become a key piece of a contender in the future. The former All-Star point guard, just 27, is averaging 25.2 points, 6.2 assists, and 5 rebounds a game this season and is again playing at an All-Star level (although whether he makes the team as a reserve in the deep Western Conference is debatable).

There’s a lot of moving parts here, let’s break it all down:

• Fox’s agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, reportedly told the Kings it “would be wise to move him sooner rather than later,” Sam Amick reports at The Athletic. Paul met with Kings’ top executive Monte McNair and owner Vivek Ranadive about the franchise’s direction before it fired coach Mike Brown and replaced him with former Kings player Doug Christie.

• While the Kings have gone 11-4 under Christie, and the team has moved up into the play-in in the deep Western Conference, the conventional wisdom is there is a ceiling on how good this roster can be because of its lack of defense in the paint and depth concerns. Fox may see that as well and see greener pastures elsewhere.

• Numerous teams are expected to call the Kings — and Paul — to talk about a potential trade and long-term fit with their franchise. The Heat, Clippers, Nets, Rockets and Magic all are rumored to have some level of interest in a trade. Rockets GM Rafael Stone has said previously he wants to play out this season, see how this young collection of talent does in the playoffs, and then make any decisions about roster changes.

• Fox reportedly has a “preferred destination.” Rumors that Fox wants to end up in San Antonio and be paired with Victor Wembanyama have been swirling around the league for more than a year, and that is very likely his preferred spot, even if it is not officially confirmed. It makes sense for both teams, as Chris Paul has organized and lifted the Spurs’ offense this season. However, at age 39, he is not the long-term answer as a floor general in San Antonio.

• Fox has one more season on his contract after this one ($37.1 million), then becomes a free agent, which gives him leverage in which teams might go after him. The price tag for Fox will be very high — multiple first-round picks and promising young players — and that’s a lot to give up if a team cannot re-sign him in a year (and that will be for the max, unquestionably). That said, a team might be willing to roll the dice and think they have a season and a half to convince Fox to change his mind.

• The Lakers are not on Fox’s list of preferred destinations, despite the strong ties with agent Paul to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, ESPN’s Charania said on NBA Today on the network.

• While the Kings are listening to offers at the trade deadline, there is a real possibility that nothing comes together before Feb. 6. At that point, Fox plays out the rest of the season in Sacramento, then gets traded around the 2025 NBA Draft or during free agency.

• Whatever the Kings get back in a Fox trade, whenever it happens, will chart their direction forward, but other key players on this roster could also become available this summer.