BBNBA: De'Aaron Fox puts up 31 points amidst trade rumors

It’s trade rumor season in the NBA and the most prominent former Kentucky player caught up in the buzz is De’Aaron Fox. Despite adding formidable stars like DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis in recent years (not to mention Malik Monk!), the Sacramento Kings appear stuck in neutral. They made the play-in game last season but did not make the playoffs and in general, have found themselves in the worst possible place to be in professional sports: the land of mediocrity. As such, title-aspiring teams smell blood in the trade market waters, and they have a scent for the services of De’Aaron Fox.

To be clear, Fox has not asked for a trade. However, Fox did sign the notorious Rich Paul as his agent in 2022, and Mr. Paul has a knack for getting superstars out of undesirable situations.

Fox bypassed a $165 million max extension with the Kings in the offseason and with one more year left on his contract, an even larger deal looms with the right team. Right now, the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, and Los Angeles Lakers are the teams that supposedly have the most interest in going after Fox.

The Kings took on one of those teams, the Lakers, Saturday night, and the former Wildcat Lodge resident put on a good audition. He had 31 points and dished out seven assists, but the Kings fell to the Lake Show 103-99.

Anthony Davis had a 10-point, 15-rebound double-double for Los Angeles while Malik Monk and Trey Lyles had quiet seven and three-point outings respectively.

The trade rumor mill is a fickle place. But Fox told reporters after the game that his team needs to find enjoyment in playing basketball, heavily implying he’s not enjoying himself right now. We’ll stand by to see if the former ‘Cat is on the move.

Bam and Herro combine for 45 points against the Magic

The only other player with a higher name ID than De’Aaron Fox on the trade rumor circuit is Jimmy Butler. So much for “Heat Culture,” I guess. Butler sat out of the Heat’s game against the Magic on Saturday, leaving the bulk of the scoring responsibilities to former Kentucky greats Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro.

The Big Blue duo did their part, combing for 45 points (23 from Bam, 22 from Herro), but the Heat fell short to the Magic 121-114. When it came to shots behind the line, Herro and Adebayo looked like they were Kentucky shooting against Ohio State in Madison Square Garden, as Herro made just three of his nine attempts and Bam missed all four of his.

Other BBNBA Notes:

• Shaedon Sharpe scored 25 points on Saturday. That’s all. I don’t have additional commentary; sometimes I just like to include Shaedon Sharpe to make his haters squirm (out of love, of course).

• Tyrese Maxey had a another big scoring day for the 76ers, dropping 27, but Philly took a blowout loss to the Cavaliers, who continue to be much better than their roster would otherwise indicate.

• Nine out of the 13 former Kentucky players who saw action on an NBA floor on Saturday scored in double figures. It would have been nice if the current Wildcats had had a similar scoring output against Ohio State, but it is still worthy of praise.

BBNBA Statistics for 12/21/2024

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	P/M	MIN
De’Aaron Fox (SAC)	99-103 L vs. LAL	31	12-17 (3-5)	5	7	1	0	4	-11	38
Tyrese Maxey (PHI)	99-126 L vs. CLE	27	8-22 (5-10)	1	3	1	0	1	-24	33
Shaedon Sharpe (POR)	94-114 L vs. SAS	25	11-16 (3-6)	3	0	1	0	1	-20	31
Bam Adebayo (MIA)	114-121 L vs. ORL	23	8-15 (0-4)	6	0	2	0	4	-35	34
Tyler Herro (MIA)	114-121 L vs. ORL	22	7-17 (3-9)	6	5	0	0	4	-5	38
Julius Randle (MIN)	103-113 L vs. GSW	16	4-13 (1-3)	7	6	0	0	3	-6	32
Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK)	104-93 W vs. NOP	11	3-10 (2-5)	10	4	0	1	5	+12	27
Anthony Davis (LAL)	103-99 W vs. SAC	10	4-10 (0-0)	15	5	0	3	5	-2	37
PJ Washington (DAL)	113-97 W vs. LAC	10	4-11 (2-5)	7	1	1	1	3	+6	37
Malik Monk (SAC)	99-103 L vs. LAL	7	3-14 (1-8)	4	8	1	1	5	+5	36
Brandon Boston Jr. (NOP) [Two-way]	93-104 L vs. NYK	7	2-6 (1-2)	2	1	0	1	2	-5	17
Johnny Juzang (UTA)	105-94 W vs. BRK	3	1-3 (1-2)	2	1	2	0	0	+12	12
Trey Lyles (SAC)	99-103 L vs. LAL	3	1-4 (1-2)	3	0	1	0	0	-9	17
Devin Booker (PHX)	125-133 L vs. DET	DNP-Groin
Justin Edwards (PHI) [Two-way]	99-126 L vs. CLE	DNP-G League
Chris Livingston (MIL)	112-101 W vs. WAS	DNP-G League
Oscar Tshiebwe (UTA) [Two-way]	105-94 W vs. BRK	DNP-G League
TyTy Washington (PHX) [Two-way]	125-133 L vs. DET	DNP-G League
Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL)	103-99 W vs. SAC	DNP-Foot
Jacob Toppin (NYK) [Two-way]	104-93 W vs. NOP	DNP-CD
Antonio Reeves (NOP)	93-104 L vs. NYK	DNP-CD
Rob Dillingham (MIN)	103-113 L vs. GSW	DNP-CD
Keldon Johnson (SAS)	114-94 W vs. POR	DNP-Calf

Tonight in the NBA

6:00 | Rockets (Sheppard) @ Raptors (Quickley)
6:00 | Pacers (Jackson: out) @ Kings (Fox, Monk, Lyles)
7:00 | Nuggets (Murray) @ Pelicans (Boston, Reeves)