NBA Rumors: De'Aaron Fox Won't Sign New Contract in 2024; Evaluating Kings' Roster

There is no urgency with De'Aaron Fox's contract situation since he is still signed through the 2025-26 campaign, and the Sacramento Kings guard reportedly plans on taking his time before agreeing to any new deal.

Anthony Slater and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported Monday that Fox "has decided not to sign an extension this year, in part, because he wants to see how the roster takes shape for the long-haul. Fox, who has two seasons left on his current deal, wants to win at the highest level and could also qualify for a significantly larger max if he makes All-NBA."

Sacramento selected Fox with the No. 5 overall pick of the 2017 NBA draft, and he has largely lived up to expectations as a franchise cornerstone.

He made his first All-Star Game in 2022-23 while averaging 25.0 points per game and was even better this past season with per-game averages of 26.6 points, 5.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds and a league-best 2.0 steals while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from deep.

However, the Kings have also been in the playoffs just one time in his career, as they lost in the first round to the Golden State Warriors in 2023.

That Fox wants to be patient and assess the roster comes as no surprise, as he surely wants to win a title and compete deep in the playoffs at some point. Whether that can happen in Sacramento remains to be seen, but he still has two seasons to decide if the team that drafted him is the best place for him.

Unfortunately for the Kings' front office, that creates some uncertainty as they are building their roster for the future.

A Kings team with Fox leading the way at point guard on a long-term deal is a more attractive one to potential free agents and signals that the front office wants to win in the present rather than focusing on the future. Yet a roster that doesn't have him two seasons from now might be staring at a rebuild.

Sacramento at least has Domantas Sabonis signed through the 2027-28 campaign, so they know they have a frontcourt building block as well.

The Sabonis and Fox pairing is an ideal starting place, but the team will likely need at least another elite piece in the immediate future to compete with the best teams in the Western Conference.