NBA Trade Rumors: There's one asset the Sacramento Kings should demand in a De'Aaron Fox trade with the San Antonio Spurs.
Just a few days before the NBA Trade Deadline, the De'Aaron Fox bombshell from earlier this week has taken the league by storm. The Sacramento Kings are now reportedly open to listening to offers for their All-Star guard. With just one year remaining on his contract after this season, Fox has let it known that he doesn't play on signing an extension with the team. In an attempt to get ahead of the narrative, the Kings are open to trading Fox to maximize his trade value.
Whether that means the Kings will move him before the NBA Trade Deadline remains to be seen. However, the San Antonio Spurs are expected to emerge as not only one of his preferred landing spots but also a team that is largely expected to pursue Fox in a deal. If the two sides do come to an agreement before the deadline, there's one asset the Kings should strongly demand in an offer - Stephon Castle.
Considering Fox still has one year left in his contract, the Kings don't necessarily have to trade him now. But if the Spurs want to be aggressive before another team comes along, the Kings should demand Castle in any deal. The Kings could make this easy. They could tell the Spurs, "Look, if you want Fox now, it's going to cost you Castle (and other stuff)."
The Sacramento Kings may not get a huge haul
It's probably true that the Kings aren't going to be able to get a huge haul but they can get picky in this trade season. Once again, the Kings shouldn't feel much pressure to trade Fox now. If all else fails, the Kings can push this into the offseason when a few more teams will have more assets to cobble together a competitive deal.
It's probably going to be difficult for the Kings to come out as winners if they end up trading Fox. Deciding to build around Fox over Tyrese Haliburton just a few years ago and then having to trade Fox now, this is certainly going to be a tough pill to swallow for the fan base. However, if they're somehow able to land Castle in a potential trade of Fox, it would give the team a strong young player to continue to build around.
All that said, prying Castle away from San Antonio could prove to be an extremely difficult task. But if the Spurs want Castle right now, the Kings need to make it clear that he's essential to any deal getting done.