Decoding a different sort of Fox news
I would like to change the channel, please.
Good morning. Let’s basketball.
The Ass in the School; Pieter Bruegel the Elder; 1556
Three national NBA reporters broke some news about De’Aaron Fox’s future with the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday. Let’s explore.
The Sacramento Kings are expected to open talks for a potential De'Aaron Fox trade ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline, sources told ESPN on Tuesday. […] There will be plenty of suitors for Fox, who made an All-NBA team in 2022-23, but it's believed that the San Antonio Spurs are atop his list of preferred landing spots, league sources told ESPN. Fox and his representation, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, have a target destination in mind ahead of his free agency, those sources said.
The Kings are now listening to trade offers for the 27-year-old former All-Star and are considering moving him before the league’s Feb. 6 trade deadline, a league source said. Fox, who will be a free agent in the summer of 2026 and whose concerns about the Kings were first reported by The Athletic in mid-December, is known to have a preferred trade destination that his associates are not yet revealing. Across the league, the San Antonio Spurs — and the prospect of pairing Fox with the future face of the league in Victor Wembanyama — have long been seen as the likely destination of choice.
Sources: Kings star De’Aaron Fox is zeroed in on a landing spot as franchise looks to possibly move him. Interested teams will likely be discouraged from trading for him being he’s set to become UFA in 2026. Fox’s unwillingness to sign extension has positioned the situation here.
Amick has long watched and accurately tracked the Kings, and Haynes is quite plugged in with Klutch clients. It doesn’t take a master logician to unwind this. The Kings have let Klutch Sports believe in some way that they are open to trading Fox after being adamant they would not, and Klutch is now working to angle Fox to a certain destination, which by all indications appears to be San Antonio. As a part of that, out comes the information to the media. Fox is a Texan (he’s from the Houston suburbs) and has eyes, which he has used to watch Victor Wembanyama play basketball. It’s not rocket science. Which star guard who has been to the playoffs once in his career due largely to team mismanagement wouldn’t want to sign on with Big Vic?
There are legitimately two pieces of news here — that the Kings are open to trading Fox, and that Team Fox would like to steer him to the Spurs. Since Sacramento turned around its season under Doug Christie, the Fox murmurs died down considerably. But the Kings front office may be legitimately worried that Fox’s value will drop the closer he gets to free agency given his aggressive representation, and may feel comfortable with Fox’s close pal Malik Monk essentially running point with Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan sharing playmaker duties. It basically worked while Fox missed time with a sore back. Meanwhile, the story on Fox’s extension deferment was that he wanted to see if the team could compete. The team is No. 10 in the West … after a mega run in January.
Fox is the most explosive scorer on the team, and with Sacramento focused on playing fast, having the fastest player in the league helps. With the West after Oklahoma City in a good deal of flux, it’s hard to imagine a team that spent a draft pick to bring in DeRozan a few months ago and a team that burned a sack of cash to replace their coach a few weeks ago punting on arguably their best player. (Sabonis is their best player, but some people believe it to be Fox, and so it is thusly arguable.) But pressure does weird things to front offices, and the Kings’ front office is already kinda weird.
I thought Tim Maxwell’s piece at The Kings’ Herald was harsh but fair.
The Pieter Bruegel the Elder of the Trade Machine Is Here
What do we have?
De’Aaron Fox and Jordan McLaughlin to the Spurs; Harrison Barnes and a second from the Spurs stash to the Pistons; Tobias Harris, Tre Jones, Jeremy Sochan and cancellation of the Spurs’ 2031 unprotected swap rights with the Kings to Sacramento. The Kings get their future pick back plus Sochan for the long-term and Tobias for now (to fill a hole). The Spurs get Fox. The Pistons upgrade at the 3/4.
Or …
The Three Amigos of the 2016-17 Kentucky Wildcats swap partners. Adebayo and Sabonis recreate the halcyon days of Webber and Divac (albeit in an era where you’d rather have shooters at those positions). Fox, Herro and whoever the Heat get for Jimmy Butler spark Pat Riley’s new era. Win win.
Scores
Lakers 104, Sixers 118 — Anthony Davis left very early, which is important. Also important: Tyrese Maxey is on a damn heater.
Dude has some of the loudest 40-point games in the league.
Rockets 100, Hawks 96 — Speaking of loud players … Dillon Brooks, ladies and gentlefolk.
Vulcan death grip? They watch The Next Generation up in Sauga City?
Anyways, the Rockets were up 16 with five minutes left and the Hawks cut it to a one-possession game. In that span Houston missed five threes and had two turnovers (both by Jalen Green). The Rockets’ only four points in the final five minutes? Amen Thompson free throws and a heads-up Amen Thompson assist to Alperen Sengun when the Hawks needed to foul.
Bucks 112, Blazers 125 — Bad loss alert. Sometimes, the Bucks look no closer to being a team than they did in the Adrian Griffin era. Sometimes, Anfernee Simons just runs you off the floor.
Jazz 103, Warriors 114 — Good win without Stephen Curry.
We Have Reached the Nadir of the Dunk Contest
I’m sorry, but this Dunk Contest line-up is just sad.
Two-time reigning champ Mac McClung
Matas Buzelis
Stephon Castle
Andre Jackson Jr.
Good luck, dudes. The dunks themselves have been OK at times in this new era of non-stars and even non-NBA players “headlining” the contest. But the juice is completely gone. You can’t have a Dunk Contest lineup that might draw an 0/4 from Barkley on “Who He Play For?” At least future NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown competed last year! We have no household names willing to step up?
I love Stephon Castle, and he has a nice mix of hop and power. But he’s not an Obi Toppin level dunker, is he? From what I can tell, Lil’ Buzi Vert’s potential to pop eyes open is that his dunking prowess is unexpected; that loses heat when you’re in the Dunk Contest. AJJ can fly — I remember the putback against the Kings last season —
— but is anyone watching the Dunk Contest for Andre Jackson Jr. at this point? Maybe the NBA will get lucky and a new dunk star in the mold of Toppin or Zach LaVine or Gerald Green will be born. McClung had one incredible dunk last year (the bobble, which I think was his lowest scoring?) and some very hoppy others. I don’t know, y’all. My kingdom for John Collins and his model plane.
Are We Sure Mercury Isn’t The Hottest Planet?
Wow. On Tuesday, the Mercury traded for Alyssa Thomas, one of the best two-way players in the world. (Go Terps.) The cost was Natasha Cloud, Rebecca Allen and the No. 12 pick. The Sun sent Ty Harris to Phoenix as well.
As the dust settled on that blockbuster, news broke that Britney Griner, one of the best bigs in WNBA history and a Mercury legend, was signing with the Dream. Griner and Rhyne Howard are a helluva duo. Can’t wait to see that in action.
Griner’s exit from Phoenix may or may not imapct Diana Taurasi’s decision whether to retire at age 42 or run it back. Given the closeness of DT and BG, I suspect the exit isn’t good news for those who want one more year of Taurasi. I suspect the Mercury will try hard to sign DeWanna Bonner to fill the Griner gap. (Bonner is AT’s fiancee and Connecticut is signaling a deeper rebuild by trading Thomas.)
Jewell Loyd, Alyssa Thomas, Britney Griner and Kelsey Plum all changing teams days before free agency opens. Wild stuff.
Schedule
Eleven games on Wednesday. All times Eastern.
Nets at Hornets, 7
Pistons at Pacers, 7
Raptors at Wizards, 7
Bulls at Celtics, 7:30
Cavaliers at Heat, 7:30
Nuggets at Knicks, 7:30, ESPN
Kings at Sixers, 7:30
Mavericks at Pelicans, 8
Clippers at Spurs, 8
Timberwolves at Suns, 9
Thunder at Warriors, 10, ESPN
Be excellent to each other.
The cost for Fox in the fake trades proposed feels low, no? Considering the haul zero-time all-star Mikal Bridges was worth? If I’m the Kings, why would I do a trade if not for a meaningful package of picks and a serious upside young player?
It is going to be so incredibly odd to see Griner in another WNBA jersey. In an era where players move all the time, the Mercury have been remarkably consistent about building around 2 players over the last decade. It was inevitable that it should end but it feels like the last gasp of that sort of thing.