De'Aaron Fox Trade Rumors: Knicks Eye Kings Star amid Julius Randle Buzz

The New York Knicks reportedly continue to show interest in a potential blockbuster deal for Sacramento Kings point guard De'Aaron Fox ahead of the 2022 NBA trade deadline on Thursday.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported the news Friday on The Hoop Collective podcast (via RealGM).

"This has been reported elsewhere, but I've heard as well that the Knicks have shown some interest in De'Aaron Fox," Windhorst said. "The player that makes the most sense in that swap is Julius Randle."

Fox, who's been sidelined by an ankle injury since Jan. 19, has emerged as one of the most popular names ahead of the deadline.

The 24-year-old New Orleans native hasn't been quite able to match his breakout numbers from last season, but he's still been highly effective when healthy for the Kings. He's averaged 21.0 points, 5.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals across 43 appearances in 2021-22.

Sacramento has a crowded backcourt rotation, which also features Tyrese Haliburton, Davion Mitchell and Buddy Hield, among others. It's raised questions about whether Fox could be available to upgrade another area of the roster.

Randle, who was voted the NBA's Most Improved Player last season, has also taken a step back during the current campaign. He's averaging nearly six points less (24.1 down to 18.5), but he's still putting up 9.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.

It creates the foundation for a trade that at least has a little traction on the surface.

The financial situation also matches up pretty well as Fox is in the first season of a five-year, $163 million contract, while Randle, 27, will begin a four-year, $117 million extension next season.

Put all the factors together and it's not a major surprise the Fox-for-Randle rumors have created some buzz in recent weeks.

That's especially true with the teams seeking a shake-up, as both the Knicks (24-28) and Kings (19-35) are currently below the play-in tournament cutoff with the All-Star break looming.

Even if it's unable to land Fox, New York will likely make a serious push to land a point guard before the deadline next week.