Trade interest in De'Aaron Fox appears to be heating up, and the Kings' star guard opened up to Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes about the possibility earlier this week.
“You definitely think about potentially being traded because we are struggling,” Fox told Haynes after the Kings' Wednesday win over the Los Angeles Lakers in a story published Friday. “If you do have a change of scenery, it changes everything. I’ve been here for five years. I’ve built a life here, a family here. But once I’m on the court, all that is out the window. You’re not thinking about anything else that can happen outside of your control.
"But I’ve been through some deadlines. I’ve seen people get traded at the last second. You try not to think about it, but you know it’s a business and anything can happen. I’m not sure what’s going to happen. Obviously, you see reports on Twitter. Am I worried about it? No. Can it happen? Yeah, it can definitely happen.”
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SIGN UP HERE Haynes wrote that Fox's name is "circulating throughout the league," and cited league sources in reporting that the Philadelphia 76ers "canvassed the prospect of a Fox-Ben Simmons trade package as recently as a few days ago," but it remains "exploratory due diligence" for now.
While interest is high in both Fox and 2020 lottery pick Tyrese Haliburton, the Kings' internal plan "is to build around those two cornerstones in the backcourt rather than shipping them out," Haynes reported, citing sources.
Fox also spoke with Haynes about his role in Sacramento, and believes he's more of a scorer than a pass-first point guard.
“I think I’m a scorer,” Fox said. "Just with the work that I continue to put in and knowing what I do when the cameras are off. Just being one of the best scorers in the league, truthfully. I think I’ve proven that I can facilitate at times when need be. I was top five in assists before, but my game is more of being a scorer. Just being able to put all of that together and being one of the best scorers.”
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Given the Kings' status outside the playoff picture, a number of players have been mentioned more often in recent trade rumors. Fox is a former top-five draft pick and understandably would be coveted by most teams.
Kings general manager Monte McNair hasn't shown much willingness to make a significant trade yet, but that could change before the Feb. 10 deadline. McNair said Friday on KHTK-AM that he wouldn't make a deal simply for the sake of shaking up things.
This will be far from the last report about Fox and other Kings players garnering trade interest before next month's deadline, so things could quickly change in Sacramento.