If his future is not in Sacramento, Kings star point guard De'Aaron Fox might have one outside destination in mind.
After ESPN's Shams Charania reported Tuesday afternoon that the Kings are open to discussing trades with teams for Fox leading up to the NBA's Feb. 6 trade deadline, with the 27-year-old believed to have a target destination in mind, Charania provided further reporting on where things stand between Fox and the Kings on Wednesday's episode of "First Take."
"League sources tell me that the San Antonio Spurs are De'Aaron Fox's preferred destination." 😲 @ShamsCharania with the latest on the Sacramento Kings being open to trade De'Aaron Fox. pic.twitter.com/O63Xh0m4wm
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 29, 2025
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"Ever since this came out about 18 hours ago, the Kings have gotten dozens of phone calls, dozens of offers, plenty of interest in De'Aaron Fox in the trade market," Charania said. "And this all came about because the Kings have obviously been talking to De'Aaron Fox very closely, trying to figure out his future.
"He's already bypassed a three-year, $166 million extension last offseason. He has not shown a willingness to sign long-term as of right now, from what I'm told, in Sacramento. So in a lot of ways, this is the Kings getting ahead of what's coming in the offseason. He's going to be a free agent in 2026, so if he were to be traded at the trade deadline, this gives them more time on his contract to potentially get more value instead of waiting for the summer where every team in the league knows they have to move De'Aaron Fox."
Charania reported that Sacramento is looking to recoup win-now players and draft capital in any potential trade package for Fox.
When news of the Kings' willingness to discuss Fox trades and the eighth-year NBA guard reportedly having a preferred destination in mind should Sacramento trade him, many around the league speculated that two teams in particular, the Houston Rockets -- Fox's hometown team -- and the San Antonio Spurs, made the most sense.
NBA
Charania reported that one of the two aforementioned Texas teams, indeed, is Fox's preferred destination should Sacramento opt to trade him.
"De'Aaron Fox is in the prime of his career, he's a max contract no-brainer and he has the ability to transform a team," Charania added. "So then the question goes, 'Where is De'Aaron Fox going to end up?' And as I reported initially, he has some leverage because he's a 2026 free agent, [but] him and his representation, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, they have a destination already in mind. I've asked Rich Paul to confirm what I've heard, he has been unwilling, to me, to confirm, but league sources tell me the San Antonio Spurs are De'Aaron Fox's preferred destination.
"And so the Kings will discuss deals with, I'm sure the Spurs, the Spurs have a level of interest, there's multiple other teams with interest in De'Aaron Fox as well and they're going to see if they can find a deal between now and that Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline and if they can recoup the upmost value for De'Aaron Fox, because if he's a rental for any other team, there is question of what price you're willing to pay."
Fox himself has not addressed the latest reports, but his wife, Recee, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and clarified that neither the Kings point guard, nor his agent Rich Paul, have requested a trade out of Sacramento and that the comments from Paul, reportedly telling the Kings it would "be wise" for them to trade Fox now, were being taken out of context.
Still has never asked for a trade btw…especially while being in the midst of a good run. That should be clear
— Recee Fox (@Cee_Caldwell) January 29, 2025
His agent didnt request a trade.
— Recee Fox (@Cee_Caldwell) January 29, 2025
Simply put-if the Kings want to move De’Aaron for the betterment of the organization, there’s a time span in which you want to do that if you’re the gm. His agent commented (per source, whatever that means) on that suggested time span.
Fox was on hand for the Kings' shootaround practice on Wednesday before their game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center.
De’Aaron Fox participating at Kings shootaround this morning in Philadelphia. pic.twitter.com/xrUFuVpDF2
— Chris Biderman (@ChrisBiderman) January 29, 2025
It remains to be seen if the Kings actually will trade Fox, but if they do, there reportedly is one team in particular he has his sights set on.