More than half the teams in the NBA have inquired on De’Aaron Fox since the Kings made him available for trade on Tuesday, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic.
Talks with San Antonio, Fox’s reported preferred destination, are going to be particularly interesting, Amick writes, with the Spurs potentially in position to push negotiations into the offseason in an effort to further evaluate their options without losing out on Fox to another team.
One potential sticking point in negotiations between the two teams could be the inclusion of 2024 lottery pick Stephon Castle. Amick writes that there is skepticism in league circles that the Spurs would include their rookie who has shown real potential.
Additionally, from the Spurs’ perspective, it may make more sense to wait until the offseason to make a move for Fox because Chris Paul is continuing to help elevate their franchise at 39 years old.
While Fox is likely to sign an extension with the Spurs if he’s traded there, other inquiring teams are likely viewing him as a rental (he’s under contract through the 2025/26 season), and the quality of their offers figures to reflect that.
The general mood of the locker room in Sacramento could impact the Kings’ timing in moving Fox, as Amick says multiple players expressed frustration that this situation is poorly timed since it coincides with Sacramento playing well under interim coach Doug Christie.
One player the Kings are not interested in acquiring as part of any Fox deal is the Heat‘s Jimmy Butler. The Kings “do not see Butler as the answer,” according to Amick. As has been well-reported, the Heat are trying to trade Butler ahead of the 2025 deadline and the Kings’ star point guard would be a logical target for Miami, given his Kentucky connection with Bam Adebayo.
Fox hasn’t requested a trade from the Kings, but his unwillingness to commit long-term led the Kings to approach his representation and put him on the block. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, Fox and his camp would have preferred to reach this point this summer when teams are more flush with draft capital and room to make offers.
The Nets are described by Fischer as a team who can be ruled out for an in-season acquisition of Fox but could make a run for the one-time All-Star in the summer.
Regardless of whether Fox becomes eligible for a super-max this season by making an All-NBA team, he has no intention of signing an extension with the Kings, Fischer writes. While Fischer suggests that the haul for Fox wouldn’t be the same as what the Cavaliers had to give up for Donovan Mitchell, as an example, it might not make sense for the Spurs to surrender multiple valuable assets for a player who is interested in signing with them in 2026 either way.
Pairing up with Wembanyama is still Fox’s ultimate goal, fueled by representation by Klutch Sports’ Rich Paul. According to Fischer, that destination was also in mind when Darius Garland‘s future in Cleveland was called into question last offseason. The Spurs have also envisioned potentially targeting Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball or Chicago’s Josh Giddey to pair with their franchise center, Fischer adds.
Here are some other recent tidbits about Fox:
- The Lakers aren’t a potential Fox destination because Klutch knows Los Angeles wouldn’t give up Austin Reaves in any deal with Sacramento, Fischer writes.
- As has been reported, the Rockets are looking to play out the rest of the season with their young core that has them in No. 2 in the Western Conference. However, that’s not the only reason they’re not currently exploring a trade for Fox. According to Fischer, the Rockets are skeptical of Fox’s fit with the team, even though the timeline makes sense.
- A potential Fox trade could cause veteran DeMar DeRozan to reevaluate his future in Sacramento, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes. “Yeah, it’s tough because looking at the landscape, before I came here, those are the guys I talked to was Fox, [Domantas Sabonis] and Malik [Monk],” DeRozan said. “Those are the core guys that made it easy for me to make my decision to play here, and a key player, a key juggernaut in Fox, not knowing the future of that, it does make it tough.“