1. The Kings aren't blowing it up
Yahoo's Kevin O'Connor proposed a 3-team trade with Utah and San Antonio that would play out as follows:
San Antonio receives: De’Aaron Fox
Sacramento receives: John Collins, Collin Sexton, and two first-round picks
Utah receives: Keldon Johnson, Zach Collins, Kevin Huerter, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks
O'Connor suggested the Kings could be looking for proven contributors in return for Fox and are tied to Utah as potential suitors for Collins and Sexton. Utah doesn't have adequate compensation to offer in return for FoxFox and wouldn't want a player who—though undeniably talented—doesn't fit their timeline.
A similar problem arises if San Antonio is as interested in Fox as rumors would suggest. Would the Spurs really go all-in on a win-now philosophy while their franchise centerpiece is still only 21 years old? Even if they did, would Sacramento be completely satisfied with Keldon Johnson, Chris Paul, and a handful of picks?
2. A King's ransom
When the Brooklyn Nets made Kevin Durant available for trade a few years ago, the phrase "A King's Ransom" was thrown around to quantify the expected asking price to secure Durant's rights. That ransom cost Phoenix dearly, as the Suns were forced to cough up Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, and four unprotected future first-round picks.
That decision may haunt the payee through 2031.
I'm fully aware that De'Aaron Fox is no Kevin Durant, so you can quit your outraged fit of typing, but desirable players never go for cheap in today's NBA. Just look at New York's recent acquisitions of OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges. Two players who have never made an All-Star team yet draw praise from across the NBA landscape.
For Bridges alone, the Knicks parted with Bojan Bogdanovic, Mamadi Diakite, Shake Milton, five first-round picks, a pick swap, and a second-round pick. That is egregious.
The Kings would sooner retain De'Aaron Fox than let him go for less than they believe he's worth. Trade values are inflated to high heaven in the modern age of basketball, so Sacramento will leave with more assets than they know what to do with or take their ball and go home.
3. Heavy is the pocketbook
De'Aaron Fox is an expensive player. He'll be owed $37,096,620 of next season's salary before becoming a free agent after the 2025-26 season. If you want De'Aaron Fox, you'd better be prepared to pay for De'Aaron Fox.
Once that contract expires, another issue will arise. Do you wear your pockets thin by extending Fox for another exorbitant fee, or do you risk losing your investment by trying to pinch pennies? Unless Fox is a seamless fit with your roster, that could be a frustrating dilemma.
That is, if Fox even intends on resigning with your team. He'll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this contract and could feel no obligation to stick it through if he doesn't feel. This issue is much more hypothetical, but every franchise will need to consider this possibility as an assumed risk when going all-in on Fox.
De'Aaron's availability doesn't guarantee a trade before the deadline, but the possibility will have several franchises salivating.