Over the last few days, we have spent a lot of time discussing the possibility that De'Aaron Fox may no longer want to be a member of the Sacramento Kings. We've talked about what the Kings should do in this situation and why it is important to act fast if they are going to trade him.
However, we have spent very little time discussing what teams would be interested in Fox if the All-Star guard was made available by the Kings. So, here are three teams that will likely compete for Fox's services if the Kings decide to put him on the trade block.
San Antonio Spurs
This one is probably the most obvious. The San Antonio Spurs have a straight-up prodigy at center in Victor Wembanyama, and when he's paired with an even average point guard, the Spurs are a tough team to beat. This season, the Spurs have a +8.8 net rating when Wembanyama and Chris Paul (635 minutes, per PBP) play together and a +18.1 net rating when Wembanyama shares the floor with Tre Jones (88 minutes). Now, imagine what happens if you swap an average point guard partner for a top 10 one in Fox.
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets have been one of the coolest surprises in the league this year, as the team who didn't even make the play-in tournament last season is currently sitting at second (!!) in the Western Conference.
Between Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., and Reed Sheppard, the Rockets have a ton of promising young talent. But they probably need to add one more All-Star caliber player to truly be considered a contender, and what better person to add than the Houston native himself?
Now, there are some fit issues. Namely, if they kept Fred VanVleet, how would he and Fox fit together? Would that be too small of a backcourt? Regardless, the Rockets will surely be Fox curious if he becomes available.
Los Angeles Lakers
As long as LeBron James and Anthony Davis are still doing their thing in Los Angeles, the Lakers will be connected to any star player who is mentioned in trade talks. The Lakers don't have the asset capital to compete with the Spurs or Rockets. However, Fox could be a great fit with the Lakers as his defense at the point guard position (88th percentile in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus, per Dunks & Threes) would be a major upgrade over what D'Angelo Russell is currently providing them.