On Tuesday, the Sacramento Kings took the NBA world by storm when it was announced that they and their franchise starting point guard, De'Aaron Fox, would be open to the prospect of exploring a trade. Fox even went as far as to state that he had a preferred destination (one that many people believe to be the San Antonio Spurs).
However, since Fox still has another year and a half left on his deal and the Kings are in the thick of a tightly contested playoff/play-in race in the Western Conference, one could argue that the team should hold off on a trade right now and see how the rest of the season goes.
The Kings need to trade Fox before the deadline
Wednesday marked the first Kings' game since the news came out about Fox and the possibility of a trade. With Fox healthy and not listed on the injury report, many people were curious to see how Fox and the rest of the team would respond to the recent reports.
Unfortunately, the result was (probably) not many Kings fans would have hoped for. Despite playing a Philadelphia 76ers team that was missing both Joel Embiid and Paul George, the Kings fell by a score of 117-104.
In the game, Fox played just under 35 minutes (the lowest of any starters), posting a box score line of 19 points, eight rebounds, and five assists on 7-for-15 shooting from the floor. The team was a -9 in Fox's time on the court. That's not a bad line, but also, it's a far cry from the bonkers numbers he was putting up earlier in the season. Also worth noting, for yet another game, Malik Monk was more involved in running the offense (he played more minutes, took more shots, and had more assists).
Most importantly, the Kings lost a very winnable game. After winning ten of their last 11, the Kings have dropped three of their last four, which likely means that the magic of the coaching change has worn off, and the team is back to being their old flawed and disappointing selves.
As a result, the Kings need to hurry up and find a trade before the deadline that helps them stay competitive in the interim (they have too much talent to tank) while also netting them valuable assets for the future. Regardless, the Fox Era's best days are over, and last night's loss showed it.