West team 'positioning itself' as front-runner for De'Aaron Fox trade

Fox declined a three-year, $165M extension from the Kings in the offseason and isn’t interested in grappling for a lower-seed playoff spot for the rest of his career, according to the report. He recently discussed the decision to turn down that extension. While Fox hasn’t asked for a trade, Amick and Slater write that the Kings star and his agent are reading the room to see what the Kings’ vision is. Fox has another year left on his deal and would qualify for a five-year, $345M supermax contract if he makes an All-NBA selection this year.

The Kings aren’t a bad team. If they played in the Eastern Conference, they’d be tied for the eighth seed. But the Kings don’t, and they’re instead in 12th place in the tight West. By all accounts, Fox has stated multiple times that he wants to spend his entire career with one franchise, and he’s been a major force in the local community. But with Sacramento stuck on the outside looking in for now, opposing teams have started to circle.

Amick and Slater report that the Spurs are “positioning themselves” to make a trade for Fox, eyeing him to be a long-term partner with Victor Wembanyama. Others are sure to be close behind.

While the Kings have shortened the rotation and their record isn’t inspiring thus far, they are still just 3.0 games out of a top-five seed in the West. They’re armed with proven NBA players like Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray and Malik Monk, among others.  On the other hand, they’ve suffered several tight losses and are 3-9 in games decided by five points or fewer this year.

The Kings know they need an upgrade and are specifically targeting backup centers and wings. Among the names on their shortlist are Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant, Jazz forward John Collins, Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas and forward Kyle Kuzma, and Nets forward Cameron Johnson, according to Amick and Slater. They’ve also expressed some lesser interest in Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith, while a bigger trade for Brandon Ingram or Zach LaVine seems unlikely at this juncture.

Fox is having one of his most productive seasons yet, averaging 26.2 points, 6.1 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. But while his play is up, other inconsistencies remain and Amick and Slater report that there is some pressure on the Kings to add more to convince him to re-up long-term.