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De'Aaron Fox Discusses Being Involved in Kings Trade Rumors: 'I Want to Win'
January 18, 2022
De'Aaron Fox has seen his name dangled in trade rumors over the past month, but when the Sacramento Kings point guard was asked by reporters if he wanted to remain with the team past the trade deadline, he said his priority was simple: winning.
Sean Cunningham @SeanCunninghamKings PG De'Aaron Fox on his name attached to trade rumors, how he deals with it, & if he controlled his future, what he'd like to happen.<br><br>"I want to win; I want to be part of a winning team. We're continuing to build & work towards that."<br><br>FULL VIDEO: <a href="https://t.co/oe9VAo9WJT">https://t.co/oe9VAo9WJT</a> <a href="https://t.co/62yqldpBr3">pic.twitter.com/62yqldpBr3</a>
"In most sports, most players come up in trade talks," Fox added. "Obviously, you don't have too many people who are really untouchable. So you always know something could happen, for sure."
As for how he deals with the uncertainty, Fox said: "I go and play basketball. There's nothing I can do about it. I handle whatever I can handle, control whatever I can control."
The 24-year-old has had something of a down season for the Kings, averaging 20.9 points and 5.1 assists while shooting 45.7 percent from the field and just 25.3 percent from three. While those numbers are solid (outside of the three-point shooting), they are a major downturn from last year's excellent production (25.2 PPG, 7.2 APG, 47.7 percent from the field, 32.2 percent from three).
The Kings, meanwhile, are a disappointing 18-28 and have lost seven of their last 10 games, leading to rampant speculation that they may try to shake things up before the Feb. 10 trade deadline in an effort to improve their postseason chances.
On Jan. 5, The Athletic's Sam Amick reported:
"Kings owner Vivek Ranadive has continued to make it clear to [general manager and president of basketball operations Monte McNair] that he has the green light to do whatever is necessary to meet those goals. And while the Kings would prefer to keep building around De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton, their strong appetite to improve means that no player is off the table in terms of potential talks."
The Kings figure to be a team that explores the trade market, alongside the floundering Indiana Pacers (15-29) and the Philadelphia 76ers as the Ben Simmons saga drags on, among others.
And given that the Kings have a plethora of talented guards alongside Fox, including Tyrese Haliburton, Davion Mitchell and Buddy Hield, it won't be surprising to see one or multiple of them on the move if the Kings decide to shake things up.