On Tuesday, the basketball world was met with the news that De'Aaron Fox and the Sacramento Kings would explore the possibility of trading their one-time All-Star point guard. Along with the request, it was noted that Fox had a preferred destination (many people believe that preference is the San Antonio Spurs).
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
Since then, many people have said that the Kings are in a rough spot with very little leverage. After all, teams won't want to trade for Fox if they know he won't be happy there. So, the Kings will have to settle for something less than Fox's full market value to get him to the Spurs, right?
Sacramento doesn't need to trade Fox right now
To answer the question we posed in the last paragraph: not necessarily. While it will be hard to convince a team other than the Spurs to trade for Fox this trade deadline, the Kings also don't need to trade Fox right now.
The big talking point with Fox lately is that he probably won't want to re-sign with the Kings when his contract is over. Last offseason, he declined a 3-year, 165-million dollar extension. However, Fox doesn't become a free agent after this season. Fox still has a whole other year left on his current deal.
Ever since they started 13-19, the Kings have won 11 of their last 14 games – putting the team at 24-22 overall and firmly in the play-in/playoff race in the Western Conference.
If the Kings don't get an offer they like, they can hold onto Fox and hope that their hot stretch of basketball continues long enough to get them back into the playoffs. From there, if they can put together a run where they win a series or two, maybe Fox will change his opinion of the team and their long-term future.
Even if that doesn't happen, you can always trade Fox in the 2025 offseason or during the 2026 NBA Trade Deadline. Maybe by then, his list of preferred destinations expands to the point where the Kings have more bargaining power.
Fox put the Kings in a tough spot by saying there was a certain place he wanted to go, but the Kings also have the luxury of being patient in this process.