Nets monitoring De’Aaron Fox as potential trade target, but only in offseason deal

Sacramento Kings star guard De’Aaron Fox could soon be on the move, and the Nets seem to have their eye on the Kentucky product.

According SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley, the Nets are among the teams that view Fox as a trade target, however, it would only make sense for Brooklyn to acquire him if he is available in the offseason.

Begley notes that the Kings are under no time pressure to get a deal done ahead of the trade deadline, though plenty of teams will come calling.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Tuesday that the Kings are open to discussing Fox in trade talks prior to the Feb. 6 deadline, but what makes things tricky is that Fox reportedly has one preferred destination. According to James Ham of TheKingsBeat.com, it’s the San Antonio Spurs.

Per Begley, several opposing teams monitoring the Fox situation also believed that the Spurs were among the teams he’d like to play for.

Fox, a one-time All-Star whose game is still ascending at just 27 years old, is under contract with the Kings through next season, but a lack of contract extension talks has made him a potential trade candidate.

Now in his eighth season as a pro, Fox has averaged 20+ points and 5.5+ assists in each of the last six seasons. He earned MVP votes in 2022-23, when he made the All-Star team while averaging 25.0 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.2 rebounds.

The Nets are in the midst of a disappointing season at 14-33, but they have both the future cap space and draft assets to get a deal done. Over the past few years, GM Sean Marks has acquired more than a handful of draft picks via trades involving Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and James Harden, with Brooklyn owning a combined 22 picks over the next five drafts. Eleven of those picks are first-rounders, though there are a number of protections in place.