Fox is in the first year of a max contract.
In his latest article noting observations from around the NBA, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer wrote something that should be of note to Kings fans who are awaiting some sort of big move.
‘The Kings are at a crossroads yet again, with a new interim head coach, a relatively new GM, and a lot of players with uncertain futures. GM Monte McNair drafted two guards in consecutive drafts (Mitchell and Tyrese Haliburton) despite having De’Aaron Fox on the payroll, which suggests to executives around the league that Fox will be his main piece for a big move. But Fox is still Sacramento’s primary source of shot creation. Mitchell hasn’t proved he can run the show. Haliburton seems more like a secondary guy given his athletic limitations.”
O’Connor’s report reads more like speculation in league circles, rather than information directly from someone within the Kings’ organization. However, this is still an interesting tidbit.
Once the Kings drafted Davion Mitchell at No. 9 in this past year’s draft, it has long felt like there was another shoe waiting to drop. It’s pretty clear that McNair’s draft strategy is to pick who he deems the best player available, regardless of positional fit. I think this is the right strategy generally, but for the Kings, it has exacerbated roster fit questions about the long-term viability of three smallish guards.
It feels like Kings fans are expecting a big move of some sort this season, and so are NBA front offices.
Lmaooooo pic.twitter.com/B3JfzSCPDr
— #Kyle Madson (@KyleAMadson) December 5, 2021
It has been reported multiple times that the Kings were unwilling to put Fox or Haliburton in a package for Ben Simmons, which is a bit confounding considering Simmons’ impressive talent and resume at a young age. Another complicating factor in any trade the Kings make for Simmons is the early season performance of second-year guard Tyrese Maxey, who looks like the ideal guard you’d want next to Joel Embiid.
Outside of Simmons, it’s hard to see what exactly this long-speculated “big move,” could be for.
Another thing that complicates any potential move involving Fox is that point guard is probably the deepest in the league in terms of frontline talent, meaning there are less obvious fits league-wide for Fox.
The Kings have rattled off a couple of wins in a row, but given the win-now goal that McNair and others in the organization have preached, it feels like anything could be on the table.