The Sacramento Kings are 1-3 in the new year, and the franchise continues to face questions such as what the future holds for De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton. Both guards have shown a fantastic amount of potential and are already two of the team’s better draft selections over the past 20 years. However, both have also recently come up in trade rumors as the Kings look to make drastic changes.
Unfortunately, most of the noise surrounding the pair this season has been about their perceived lack of fit together. The opinion of some, growing to many, is that the presence of De’Aaron Fox is detrimental to the development of Tyrese Haliburton. Whether that point is right or wrong (it could certainly be debated), the idea of two points guards hasn’t worked so far, and there isn’t a clear path to it saving the Kings’ season if that’s even possible.
It may be too quick to say that Haliburton cannot figure things out alongside Fox but is that a gamble Sacramento should be willing to take? It seems as though Tyrese Haliburton is already primed to lead the Kings, while De’Aaron Fox seems like he would benefit from a change of scenery.
Trading De’Aaron Fox seems to be inevitable. The real question is, “when should the Sacramento Kings trade him?”
The two most sensical answers would be the Kings either trading De’Aaron Fox now (by the deadline) or later (during the offseason). Which one is more beneficial for Sacramento? Well, again, that answer can be debated.
The Case to Trade De’Aaron Fox Now
This season has not gone the way that Monte McNair and the front office expected. The Sacramento Kings are currently 11th in the Western Conference, which is outside of the play-in game. That’s a far cry from the initial singular focus of making the playoffs.
While that goal is technically still within reach, it will take some drastic change to make it a legitimate possibility, let alone a reality. When looking at the Kings’ top assets, De’Aaron Fox is not only among the best, but his salary also makes it easy to bring back a talented player in the deal.
There are quite a few sizable talents who have hit the rumor mill this season. Players like Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram, or even Domantas Sabonis are some of the names often connected to De’Aaron Fox, along with Jaylen Brown, who is in a slightly higher category.
With players like these potentially available in the trade market, it may be wise for the Kings to explore a Fox swap now before too many of these players become unavailable. It’s not often such a collection of names are attainable near the deadline, but that just so happens to be the case this season.
While there’s no telling if just that acquisition could turn things around for the Kings, it certainly is a start. Sacramento would have to make other moves as well, but it should all start with De’Aaron Fox and whichever player they can get in return.
The only real way any of this makes sense, though, is if Monte McNair is still chasing this dream of making the playoffs, which he very well may do. If that is the case and an opportunity for a deal presents itself, only then should a deal be struck this season. If that is not the case, the offseason is the best time for a De’Aaron Fox deal.
The Case to Trade De’Aaron Fox Later
The very concept of trading away another talented player is likely one that doesn’t sit too well in the stomach of the Kings’ fanbase nor their front office. However, the fact of the matter is that this team seems significantly closer to a rebuild than a playoff berth.
While there are certain players the team would likely make an exception for, by and large, Monte McNair is, or at least was, looking to do all he could to hold onto Fox, and it’s easy to understand why.
After everything that happened with DeMarcus Cousins, you can’t blame the franchise for wanting to be careful about trading away another talented player, especially since it doesn’t look possible to get equal value in return.
Aside from the lack of value the Kings received in return for Cousins, the biggest mistake made was the team’s lack of self-awareness in terms of their contention status. Trading for a then-24-year-old rookie and a single first-round pick is a pitiful return for a team that fooled themselves into thinking they could turn things around. This cannot be the case with De’Aaron Fox.
The Kings should lean into a modest rebuild, not one to the degree of OKC but enough to provide them with enough future assets to at least give them a chance. With this current roster, the team’s ceiling is so low; they’re only delaying the inevitable until they’re forced to move on from these players anyway.
It would be wise of Sacramento to look to trade Fox to a team like Houston or New Orleans who can provide them with the necessary draft capital and salary in return to rebuild this team through the draft, Monte McNair’s lone strength, apparently.
Even if the Kings decide to wait and still target proven players, they can like make that work as Simmons, Ingram, and Sabonis all have a large chance of remaining available, and it only seems like more players are becoming available by the day.
The Kings can’t go wrong by waiting unless, of course, they wait too long.