De’Aaron Fox is a young star, and he is the current face of the Sacramento Kings. Fox has improved every season he’s been in the league, and this season he truly blossomed, averaging 25.2 PPG and 7.2 APG. There’s no doubt that he is a great scorer and playmaker, and he is one of the best slashers in the league.
While there seems to be no reason to trade De’Aaron Fox, there have been reports that the Sacramento Kings could trade De’Aaron Fox for Ben Simmons. However, a recent report by Paolo Uggetti, suggests that De’Aaron Fox is “content” with the Sacramento Kings, and that could be “too valuable” for the Kings.
But a league source said Fox is content in Sacramento. And having a player who wants to stay may be too valuable for a small-market team like the Kings.
There’s no doubt that there are pros and cons to the trade. Ben Simmons is a much better defender than De’Aaron Fox and it’s true that both sides of the ball matter. However, De’Aaron Fox is a player that is “content” in Sacramento: that isn’t something you find often, and building around him could be a better path forward than giving him up for Ben Simmons. There is no guarantee that Ben Simmons won’t bolt to a bigger market once he is a free agent. While there is no guarantee with Fox either, it seems far more likely that he’d be willing to stay long-term with the Kings.
Ben Simmons may yet develop into a superstar, but the same possibility exists with Fox as well. Only time will tell if the Sacramento Kings will end up dealing De’Aaron Fox for Ben Simmons, but according to this report, it doesn’t seem that likely. Fox could potentially lead Sacramento to the playoffs in the future, and hopefully, that happens sooner rather than later.
