NBA Rumors: If De'Aaron Fox does end up hitting the trade block, there may already be a frontrunner to pull off the blockbuster deal.
Over the last couple of weeks, the Sacramento Kings have been at the center of the NBA news cycle for all the wrong reasons. The Kings have gotten off to a pretty bad start to the year, decided to fire their head coach, and now the inevitable De'Aaron Fox trade rumors are naturally beginning to develop. I wouldn't say the Kings are deadset on blowing up their roster at the moment but things certainly do seem to be trending in that direction.
If Sacramento isn't able to salvage the season, it does appear as if big changes are on the horizon. At the center of those possible changes is a trade of De'Aaron Fox who has just one year remaining on his contract after this season. It's not a reality just yet for the Kings but the chances of Fox either demanding a trade or being prematurely traded appears to be growing.
If Fox were to hit the trade block, it's been widely reported that there is a consensus few teams to keep an eye on - the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, and Los Angeles Lakers. Of those teams, the Spurs and Rockets are two teams with probably the most potentially compelling offers. However, at least for now, the Spurs are considered to be the "more likely" of the two teams to strongly pursue Fox in the future.
Why the San Antonio Spurs could be considered the favorite for De'Aaron Fox
If Fox does end up on the trade block and it becomes a bidding war between the Spurs and the likes of the Magic, Lakers, and Heat, I'd probably imagine that San Antonio would be considered the heavy favorite to get a deal done - especially if the Spurs were willing to build a package around Stephon Castle and multiple future first-round picks.
Considering how great of a fit Fox would theoretically be next to Victor Wembanyama, there's no real reason why the Spurs shouldn't be interested in going all-in on a potential deal for Fox. Even though it's probably not a deal that could come to fruition ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline, it's certainly something to keep a close eye on as we inch closer and closer to the offseason - especially if the Kings continue to disappoint as a team.
It's still a big "if," but if Fox does end up hitting the trade block (no matter how it all comes to fruition), it does appear as if the Spurs are going to be one of the frontrunners to land him. If they are open to trading some of their marquee assets, there's no reason to believe why Fox can't end up on the Spurs in the near future.