De'Aaron Fox Says He's 'Not Worried at All' About Kings Trade Rumors
January 20, 2022
De'Aaron Fox isn't allowing trade rumors swirling around his name to impact his mindset.
“Am I worried about anything? No. Do I know stuff can happen? Yeah. But I’m not worried at all, no," Fox told reporters after Wednesday's 133-131 loss to the Detroit Pistons.
Fox has been persistently mentioned as a trade piece as the Kings look to revamp their roster. He's often been suggested as a potential centerpiece to a trade for disgruntled Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons, but Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Wednesday the team has no plans to move Fox ahead of the Feb. 10 deadline.
Simmons has been a target of the Kings all season, with the Sixers rebuffing every trade package sent their way. Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported the Sixers and Kings had "exploratory" talks regarding a Simmons-Fox trade earlier this month.
The Kings almost certainly aren't adding Simmons without parting with either Fox or Tyrese Haliburton, both of whom are viewed as building-block pieces by the franchise. That stance may change if the Sixers' asking price comes down a little in the coming weeks, in large part because a Fox-Simmons pairing feels like a clunky basketball fit.
Both players are poor three-point shooters—or, in the case of Simmons, a non-shooter—who are best attacking with the ball. The Fox-Haliburton pairing works because of Haliburton's versatility and three-point shooting.
Even if the Kings move forward with the Fox-Haliburton backcourt, a change is likely coming in Sacramento sooner than later. The Kings already fired coach Luke Walton but haven't found much success under interim coach Alvin Gentry and are sitting at 18-29 on the season.