De’Aaron Fox on uncertain Sacramento Kings future: ‘You have to put those emotions aside’
The Sacramento Kings’ loss to the undermanned, under-rested Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday compounded the business of basketball discussions being had by the team’s decision makers behind the scenes.
At the center of it, of course, is point guard De’Aaron Fox, who sat at his locker following the 13-point defeat answering questions about not letting his uncertain future impact what happens on the hardwood.
“Things around me change,” Fox said when asked about the news of the past 24 hours. “Y’all know stories about Sacramento. You’ve been there. Things around here change. So, I’m fine.”
Fox earlier in the day confirmed the reports that surfaced Tuesday that the Kings’ front office told him it was fielding trade offers for the former All-Star ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Fox hasn’t offered specifics about his conversations with Kings officials, but he hasn’t hid from the fact his time with the team that drafted him in 2017 might be careening to a conclusion.
Fox was asked if his history with Sacramento, which included five straight losing seasons before ending the NBA’s longest playoff drought in 2023, impacts how he views his future.
“In this business, you have to put those emotions aside,” Fox said. “Obviously, everybody especially who were here during that long (postseason drought), and who was on this team when we made the playoffs, obviously that means a lot to everybody.
“But in the business of basketball you can’t have too much emotion.”
Kings players and interim coach Doug Christie said the news becoming public over the previous 24 hours didn’t impact the way the team played in Philadelphia, when a 12-point third-quarter lead turned into a 13-point loss after scoring just 17 points in the fourth.
But Fox said he’s had conversations with his teammates regarding what could be coming over the next week before the deadline.
“Those things have come up,” Fox said. “It’s natural. We’re all human. We talked about it going into shootaround. There’s a business side of basketball. Everybody knows that. Besides the rookies here, everybody’s been through trade deadlines and things like that. But everybody in here is professional.”
Fox on Wednesday confirmed he has a preferred destination and pointed to the reports from Tuesday that said he was interested in joining the San Antonio Spurs, where he could pair with Victor Wembanyama. Fox is from Houston and recently constructed an offseason home there. The Athletic reported Tuesday that Fox’s agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, told the Kings “it would be wise to move him sooner rather than later.”
ESPN reported Wednesday the Kings have fielded “dozens” of calls and trade offers for Fox, who might be the prize acquisition of the trade market along with disgruntled Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler. It would mark the biggest departure for the Kings since moving on from center DeMarcus Cousins less than six months before drafting Fox in 2017.
“I thought before the game everybody was in a really good spot,” Christie said when asked if Fox’s situation has impacted the team’s spirit. “When you look at stuff like that, you can read into a lot of different things. I don’t do that. Those guys are out there to win. They’re going to play their hearts out. They’re going to play extremely hard.
“There are areas that we have to be better at, and that’s ultimately — like once we get a lead, we have to learn how to just step on somebody’s neck and put them away. And tonight is another example of not doing that. ... Give the (76ers) credit. They played a good game. They were aggressive, knocked down shots. Tyrese was Tyrese, and they got the win.”
Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points and appeared to solve the Kings’ zone defense in the third quarter, helping swing the game. Philadelphia’s bench outscored Sacramento’s 40-15.
‘He’s a pro... he’s all right’
Malik Monk, Fox’s former college teammate at Kentucky, led Sacramento with 21 points Wednesday, but failed to score while playing the entire fourth quarter. The Kings as a team made six of 21 shots in the final frame while the 76ers pulled away.
Monk was asked if Fox’s situation has impacted the team’s spirit.
He paused.
“That’s a good question, man,” Monk said. “I wouldn’t say the team (was impacted), but maybe for him though. But I didn’t see it.
“He’s a pro. I feel like he’s been on the trade block before, maybe, just not publicly. So he’s all right.”
The loss was the Kings’ third of four games on their six-game road trip. Things won’t get any easier when the team goes to Oklahoma City for to play the NBA Western Conference’s top-seeded Thunder on Saturday. The trip wraps up two nights later in Minnesota against the Timberwolves, who as of Wednesday had won three straight games.
“We gotta fight,” Domantas Sabonis said after posting his eighth triple-double of the season. “We feel like today was a very bad loss for us since we felt like we had control of the game many times, and we just couldn’t get it done.”
This story was originally published January 29, 2025 at 10:02 PM with the headline "De’Aaron Fox on uncertain Sacramento Kings future: ‘You have to put those emotions aside’."
