The Sacramento Kings became the most in-demand team at the trade deadline after it was revealed that they’re fielding offers for star point guard De’Aaron Fox. They’re trying to maximize Fox’s trade value before he inevitably becomes a free agent in 2026, and many are speculating that the San Antonio Spurs are his preferred destination.
Trusted insider Marc Stein has revealed on his Substack that the Kings are already in deep trade talks with the Spurs and that a Fox trade is close to materializing.
“League sources say that the Kings and Spurs have indeed been engaged in trade talks this week on a deal that could potentially land Fox in his preferred destination of San Antonio.”
The fact that the Kings and Spurs are already talking implies that this shouldn’t turn into a trade saga like Jimmy Butler’s on the Miami Heat. The Kings probably aren’t thrilled that Fox has refused multiple contract extensions from them, but there’s clear mutual respect between the parties.
The Kings are doing the smart thing by negotiating with the team Fox wants to join, with the ownership proving to everyone in the league that they are player-friendly. Fox is averaging 25.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.2 assists this season.
A Potential De’Aaron Fox Trade Package Is Expensive
If the Kings and Spurs are negotiating for a Fox package right now, the price likely will be high. The entire point of the Kings announcing that Fox was on the market was to ensure they could get a robust package for him now while he still has 18 months left on contract.
Since Fox actively wants to join and extend with the Spurs, other teams will not be willing to give the Kings a big enough package to satisfy their needs. They’ll hold back on offering assets because they can’t guarantee Fox will stay past 2026. The only team that can be sure about him staying would be the Spurs, who are in a win-now situation with Victor Wembanyama’s rapid development.
A trade package will include Keldon Johnson, but the two teams will deliberate over including Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, or Stephon Castle in the package.
The Spurs will likely not be willing to offer any of them and try to make up for it by offering multiple picks alongside young talents like Blake Wesley or Malaki Branham. They potentially could have to include one of their three core young players to make this deal easy.
Trade discussions will continue until February 6 when we’ll find out if Fox finishes out the season in Sacramento. If he does, many will be virtually guaranteeing a Fox trade in the summer.
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