With the NBA trade deadline less than a month away, rumours are already starting to circulate – and one of the prized acquisitions being talked about is electrifying Sacramento Kings point guard De'Aaron Fox.
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports, the Kings have received an abundance of interest in both Fox and second-year guard Tyrese Haliburton ahead of the Feb. 10 deadline.
Sources: Sacramento Kings receiving high interest in De’Aaron Fox with trade deadline approaching. Fox talks to @YahooSports about his struggles, an ideal role and being moved: “You definitely think about potentially being traded because we’re struggling.” https://t.co/oakjXunjk0
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 14, 2022
Among the potential suitors, the Philadelphia 76ers have discussed a potential Fox for Ben Simmons-centred trade but "dialogue remains exploratory due diligence," according to Haynes.
Haynes adds that, despite the interest, Sacramento's internal plan is to continue building around the Fox-Haliburton backcourt duo.
In the article published on Friday, Fox spoke on the matter.
"You definitely think about potentially being traded because we are struggling," Fox said. “If you do have a change of scenery, it changes everything. I’ve been here for five years. I’ve built a life here, a family here. But once I’m on the court, all that is out the window. You’re not thinking about anything else that can happen outside of your control.
"You try not to think about it, but you know it’s a business and anything can happen. I’m not sure what’s going to happen. Obviously, you see reports on Twitter. Am I worried about it? No. Can it happen? Yeah, it can definitely happen."
After a run of eight consecutive playoff appearances from 1999 to 2006, including a conference finals appearance in 2002, the Kings are mired in the NBA's longest active stretch without making the playoffs. They've also failed to be above .500 in any season since 2005-06, reaching a high of 39 wins in 2018-19.
This season, they're 17-27, 11th in the Western Conference and headed toward a 16th consecutive playoff-less season — barring a second-half surge or a special run in the play-in games.
Fox, who was drafted fifth overall by the Kings in 2017 after an impressive freshman season at Kentucky, averaged 25.2 points and 7.2 assists in 2020-21. Those numbers have dropped to 20.9 and 5.1 this season, but having just turned 24 years old, he's still one of the bright young stars in the league.
He's currently in the first season of a five-year, $163-million deal.
"I’m not going to sit here and say I want to get traded, but anything can happen in this business," Fox added. "You've seen the best players in the league get traded. You can’t think you’re safe. But I love being here because, for years, the Kings were the only professional team in the city. Kings fans love the Kings. That’s what I’ve always loved about it."
Haliburton is considered one of the steals of the 2020 NBA Draft after Sacramento selected him 12th overall. He averaged 13 points and 5.3 assist en route to making the 2020-21 All-Rookie first team. This season, he's bumped those numbers up to 13.9 points and seven assists per game.
