NBA Rumors: If the Sacramento Kings end up trading De'Aaron Fox, there's one other player who would likely be on the trade block next.
Over the last week, the Sacramento Kings have been at the forefront of arguably the biggest story in the Association. As you would guess, the Kings are probably on the wrong side of it. De'Aaron Fox is now reportedly on the trade block after his agent made it clear that he doesn't plan on signing a contract extension with the team once his current deal expires. Even though Fox has one year left on his contract, the Kings are expected to get ahead of the entire situation and attempt to move him when his trade value is at an all-time high.
With the way the rumor mill is currently trending, it would seem that the Kings are probably going to trade Fox sooner rather than later. If he isn't moved at the NBA Trade Deadline, there's reason to believe that he could be moved at some point early on during the offseason. Either way, there's a growing expectation that Fox's days in a Kings uniform are numbered.
If the Kings do move forward with trading Fox, it's only going to bring more questions about this team's future - and not just for the Kings. If Sacramento takes a step back after trading Fox, it will only leave a veteran player like DeMar DeRozan in an awkward situation. In fact, I'd argue that if the Kings end up trading Fox, they should probably go ahead and trade DeRozan as well. At 35 years old, I can't imagine he's going to want to be part of another retooling that would probably look more like a rebuild in the long run.
The Sacramento Kings are in a difficult situation
While none of this should be all that surprising for the Kings, especially after they got off to such a difficult start to the year, I don't believe any franchise is truly prepared for a star player "demanding" or "advising" for a trade. Considering the Kings have completley built their roster around Fox, it's easy to see why they are currently in a difficult situation.
After making a return for the postseason each of the last two years, the last thing this front office will want is another complete rebuild. But if you're trading your franchise player, that's probably the best path forward. The Kings can try to retool on the fly if they want, but it would make zero sense for this team to do that without a player to build around.
The Kings are in one of those difficult places where they may not want to rebuild again but also at a point where it probably makes the most sense for the franchise moving forward. There will be no easy decisions over the next few months for the Kings. But, no matter how much they may want to avoid it, it does seem as if this team is back at square one.