3 best trade destinations for Sacramento Kings star De’Aaron Fox

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3. Houston Rockets 2. Utah Jazz 1. San Antonio Spurs

Want a star point guard who’s entering the prime of his NBA career? De’Aaron Fox might be just for you.

The Sacramento Kings are reportedly open to trade offers for Fox, as the team hovers around NBA Play-in Tournament contention. Fox, 27, has one-plus years remaining on a five-year, $163 million deal with the Kings.

A 2022-23 NBA All-Star, Fox is averaging 25.2 points, 6.2 assists, five rebounds and 1.5 steals per game this season, while shooting 46.8/32.4/82.6. Over the past five seasons, Fox has averaged 25.1 points per game.

Here are three ideal trade destinations for Fox.

3. Houston Rockets

The Rockets are having a breakout season, but it feels like they’re missing a little oomph to make a deep playoff run. Fox could be the solution.

The left-handed point guard can score in isolation, shoot off the dribble and facilitate. He’s one of the most well-rounded guards the NBA has to offer. Fox would immediately become Houston’s No. 1 scorer, taking some pressure off Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, who would become secondary sources of offense.

In Houston, Fox would join a similar roster to the one he’s part of in Sacramento, as the point guard would be the offensive focal point with an All-Star-caliber frontcourt player (Sengun with the Rockets and Domantas Sabonis with the Kings) and a handful of capable scorers alongside them.

Houston could send Fred VanVleet, Tari Eason, Cam Whitmore, its 2028 and 2030 first-rounders and a pair of second-rounders to Sacramento for Fox and Kevin Huerter. The Kings get emerging wings and unprotected first-rounders, while the Rockets clear out their long-term rotation glut with a win-now move.

What could stop the Rockets from making a trade of this magnitude before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, though, is them potentially preferring to play out the season with a roster that’s 32-14 and re-assess their situation after the playoffs.

2. Utah Jazz

One day, the Jazz trade away Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gubert. The next day, they acquire John Collins and extend Lauri Markkanen. It’s difficult to ever get a sense of where Utah sees itself. How about operating with assertion and acquiring Fox with the aim of becoming a perennial playoff team?

Markkanen has become one of the better scoring big men in the league, but his scoring has dropped (the big man is averaging 19.7 points per game, a 3.5-point drop from last season, which was a 2.4-point drop from the year prior) and he alone isn’t enough for the Jazz to become a first- or even second-tier team in the Western Conference, anyway. Another high-level scoring option is needed. The Jazz have a boatload of compelling young players and draft picks to execute a trade of this magnitude.

Utah can send Collin Sexton, Taylor Hendricks — the No. 9 pick in the 2023 draft — Drew Eubanks and its 2027 and 2029 first-round draft picks to Sacramento for Fox and a second-rounder. The Kings get a haul for their franchise player, and the Jazz get a long-term piece to the puzzle.

Fox and Markkanen would create an auspicious foundation for the Jazz, who badly need direction. The former would be the team’s No. 1 scorer, taking some of the defensive attention off Markkanen. Next to the Fox-Markkanen pairing is emerging force Keyonte George, a rock in the middle in Walker Kessler and several young wings who have had their moments, such as Johnny Juzang and Isaiah Collier. Having two versatile and proven scorers gives the Jazz a roadmap to contention in the coming years.

All that said, while a fit exists, the timing may be wrong for the Jazz to acquire Fox. While finishing with one of the worst records in the sport is a sign of a program that’s struggling to make progress, the Jazz, who are last in the West, likely prefer to play out the season, potentially get a top-three draft pick and make a move aimed at immediate results in the offseason. Plus, any team making a blockbuster trade with the Jazz would likely require their 2025 first-rounder to be included in the deal, regardless of how many first-rounders are put on the table.

Should Fox remain in Sacramento past the trade deadline, Utah could potentially be the best fit. In the meantime …

1. San Antonio Spurs

Fox is reportedly eyeing a move to the Spurs, and it’s no wonder why: the two sides are perfect for each other.

Victor Wembanyama is a star, if not already a superstar. There’s nothing he can’t do, but the prodigy needs a running mate or at least someone else beside him who can carry a substantial scoring burden. Fox gives San Antonio its long-term floor general. He can score in a variety of ways, like Wembanyama, and make a mid-level Spurs offense elite.

The Spurs have been at the bottom of the West in recent years but are now competing for the playoffs and have a fighting chance of breaking through. At some point, an impactful veteran enhancement will be needed for San Antonio to make the next jump (becoming a contender). They have the chance to acquire a proven No. 1 scoring option in Fox, who wouldn’t carry the same scoring load that he does with the Kings.

Wembanyama and Fox would form a potent one-two scoring punch for the rest of this season and one of the best pairings in the sport for the long haul. In-between them is the combination of rookie Stephon Castle, a proven shooter and scorer in Devin Vassell, a gritty frontcourt player in Jeremy Sochan, a budding wing in Julian Champagnie and plenty of draft ammunition to make more moves where San Antonio sees fit. Acquiring Fox is the next step to the Spurs rocketing up the West.

San Antonio can send Keldon Johnson, Zach Collins, Blake Wesley and its 2025 and 2027 first-rounders to Sacramento for Fox. The Kings get plausible draft compensation over the next three years, a former first-rounder in Wesley and an immediate starter in Johnson, depending on who else they potentially move on from.

Fox is one of the best players in the sport and still not 30. His timeline and the Spurs’ timeline match up.

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