With rumors that Sacramento Kings star De'Aaron Fox may be available on the trade market, teams will likely be eager to offer the Kings significant assets for their best player. While the Kings don't yet appear ready to trade him, if they can't make up ground in the Western Conference, it may get to a point where it makes sense for them to shop Fox. Particularly since Fox will be an unrestricted free agent after next season.
Fox's looming free agency and the Kings' struggles could eventually force their hand, and they might be willing to move him if the right deal comes along. At the moment, several teams have been linked to Fox, and some have plenty of potential assets that they can offer the Kings.
Of course, the Kings would want top dollar for Fox while potential trade partners would probably prefer to hold onto their cores while offering matching salary and dipping into their draft stockpile. Some teams have more draft picks in their stockpile than others, giving them a leg up over the competition to acquire Fox.
Considering that, only a few teams have a chance to make a big in-season deal. Other teams will be able to put together strong trade packages, but there appear to be only a couple of frontrunners if Fox is put on the trade block.
If that were to happen, then it could signal big changes for the Kings. After missing the playoffs for 16 straight seasons, they made the postseason in 2022-23. However, they failed to get it back last season and are currently 12th in the West standings and fading fast. They are already two and a half games back of the Golden State Warriors for 10th place.
The fact that they are that far back, one-third of the way through the season, doesn't bode well, and while they are reportedly kicking the tires on making a last-ditch trade, they should be open to making a big move ahead of the deadline. Things just haven't worked out the way they have expected with their core of Fox and Domantas Sabonis failing to make them a contender. If Fox were to be moved, depending on what they can get in return, they could seek to retool around Sabonis.
Be that as it may, they just gave star DeMar DeRozan a three-year, $81 million contract and gave up swap rights to a distant first-round pick, and as a part of the three-team sign-and-trade, that brought him to Sacramento.
That is to say that the Kings have already made win-now moves but aren't any closer than they have been in recent years. Moving Fox could trigger other moves for the Kings, but it would all depend on what they would covet in a potential deal. Up next we'll take a look at several potential Fox deals and see if they make sense for the Kings.