The Kings have never been a team to shy away from making big in-season trades. They also aren’t known to be precious with their players. Even when the team is doing well or has important pieces, they are always willing to move them for the right price.
Currently, Sacramento is on quite the tear. Since interim head coach Doug Christie took over, they’ve been winning, beating good teams, and now find themselves in the playoff picture. There are many reasons for that rise, but one of the biggest is lead guard De’Aaron Fox.

(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The quick point is having a great year on the team, and continues to be both a spark and leader when the Kings need him. He’s averaging 25.2 points, 6.2 assists, 5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game, which is good enough to make him one of the most versatile players in the NBA.
He comes up with big shots when the Kings need him, knows how to attack a defense, and does a great job on the opposite side of the ball. Even so, in a surprising twist of events, he might not be in the purple and black much longer.
A Shift in Narrative
A month ago, the Kings appeared to be in full panic mode. They were losing plenty of winnable games, couldn’t find the right rotation, and weren't getting help from the bench. As such, many expected them to trade or move on from their stars.
Once Christie took over and they started winning, that narrative shifted. Rather than getting ready for a fire sale, Sacramento became focused on making a playoff push. That meant, not only keeping their best players, but bringing in some big names as well.
However, despite the fact that the Kings are undoubtedly looking at getting into the postseason with their current roster, recent reports state they are open to trading Fox ahead of next Thursday’s deadline if another team is willing to pay a high price.
That news is huge for many teams across the league who would love to add the allstar to their roster, but it’s not great news for the Kings. If Sacramento is indeed willing to move Fox, or at least open to discussions, it means something is happening behind the scenes.
Contract, and Winning, Disputes
With his stats and leadership abilities, it’s unlikely the Kings would be willing to let Fox go without some internal conflict. Even knowing other franchises would give them a large haul during a deal, he would be invaluable for the late season playoff push.
As such, many believe he’s not interested in a long contract extension with the Kings. The guard is due to enter free agency in 2026. If the Kings are going to lose him next year, it would make sense to get what they can for him now rather than waiting and getting nothing.
Fox already turned down a three-year, maximum salary extension during the 2024 offseason hoping to get an even bigger one in the summer of 2025. He’d sign a four-year max deal at that time, or could even get a five-year super max extension if he earns All-NBA honors. That extra cash could be one reason he wants to test the open market. Winning is another.

A Desire for Glory
The Kings have been good over the past two years, but they are far from a dominant franchise. They’ve done enough to make the postseason, but still seem to be short of being a ring-winning team.
Fox is fully aware of that fact. He’s spoken openly about wanting to be on a team that is competing at a high level and not just fighting for a playoff spot every year. The Kings have turned things around, but they still are very much into that category.
Though nobody knows if the guard has a specific destination in mind, he’d likely want to go to a top contender. There are many teams around the NBA on the fringe of being great, and a move could get him to one such franchise.
The only issue is that the Kings aren’t going to trade him cheap. Fox is a top point guard, which means he will likely command a top point guard price. A team with a winning roster could do it, but they’d likely have to leverage future draft picks to make it happen.
More to Come
It’s important to note that the Kings being open to trading Fox is not the same thing as actually trading him. They are still committed to bringing in some help before the deadline, as they have been linked to players like Nets forward Cameron Johnson or Jaxx big man John Collins.
Such players would greatly increase their roster and help their playoff odds. Not only that, but there’s a chance that getting a big piece or bringing in one of the aforementioned names could convince Fox to stay.
At this point him being content with anything but a deep playoff push seems unlikely. While Sacramento might get there, the recent shows that he might not be around to see it. Only the next week will tell.