Kings Open To Trading De’Aaron Fox Before Deadline; Spurs His ‘Preferred Landing Spot’

The Sacramento Kings are opening up talks with the intent of trading De’Aaron Fox before the Feb. 6 trade deadline. ESPN’s Shams Charania was first to report.

Per reports, Fox has a specific destination in mind, so other suitors — of whom there are expected to be many — will likely be dissuaded from trading for the star point guard. James Ham of ESPN Sacramento has reported the San Antonio Spurs are Fox’s “preferred landing spot” if he “leaves the Kings via trade.”

According to multiple sources, if De’Aaron Fox leaves the Kings via trade, his preferred landing spot is the San Antonio Spurs. It could be an interesting couple of days in Sacramento.

— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) January 28, 2025

Fox’s reluctance to sign an extension with the Kings is what has taken the organization and him on this path. He can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026.

In 43 games this season, Fox is averaging 25.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.5 steals. After a career-year from 3-point range last season shooting 36.9 percent, Fox is back around his career average at 32.4 percent.

From NBA Darlings To Mediocrity

When Sacramento traded Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers for Domantas Sabonis, it showed full faith in Fox as the future of the team. It also showed a strong desire to compete immediately and win now.

Hiring Mike Brown as head coach was another step showing a desire for veteran leadership that knows how to get deep in the playoffs.

During their first full season together, Fox and Sabonis led the Kings to the most efficient and exciting offense in the league. The Kings finished at the top of the league in offensive rating, good for an 18-game improvement from the 2021-22 season.

After finishing 48-34, the Kings lost a seven-game thriller to the defending champion Golden State Warriors in the first round.

Sacramento was unable to build on that momentum the following season, finishing 46-36 as the offense stumbled and defense cratered. They lost in the Play-In tournament.

DeMar DeRozan was supposed to breathe new life into the team and ease the burden on Fox as well as Sabonis, but those plans haven’t materialized.

This season, the Kings are a mediocre 24-22 and just ahead of the Warriors in 10th place. That’s despite winning 11 of their last 14 games after firing Brown as head coach and handing over duties on an interim basis to former Kings player Doug Christie.

Which Teams Might Want To Trade For Fox?

According to Charania, the Los Angeles Lakers are not a preferred destination for Fox.

Reporting for NBA Today — the Kings’ franchise cornerstone, All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox, could be moved ahead of next week’s NBA trade deadline: pic.twitter.com/JzcJMsyHF0

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 28, 2025

Two teams that had registered interest in Fox previously in rumors are the Spurs and Houston Rockets. Fox seems linked to the Spurs via Ham’s report, while Houston don’t appear interested, according to Marc Stein.

There will be inevitable trade connections made between the Rockets and De’Aaron Fox, but league sources tell @TheSteinLine that Houston’s in-season intentions remain unchanged: Let this current group see how far it can go.

More from NBA Trade Season: https://t.co/LFQEa4zNFM https://t.co/08aiCKbGfG

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 28, 2025

San Antonio is rich with draft capital and rosters a slew of intriguing young players. It definitely holds the means to acquire the All-Star point guard, if it so chooses to upgrade the roster around superstar center Victor Wembanyama.