NBA executives believe De'Aaron Fox will be "main piece" in blockbuster deal

Could former Kentucky star De’Aaron Fox find himself at the center of a blockbuster deal at the trade deadline this season? NBA executives believe it’s on the table.

According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, the Sacramento Kings are at a “crossroads” in the front office regarding the future of the franchise. Drafting two point guards in back-to-back drafts and Fox on a supermax contract, league executives believe the former Wildcat could be on the move sooner rather than later.

“The Kings are at a crossroads yet again, with a new interim head coach, a relatively new GM, and a lot of players with uncertain futures,” O’Connor reported Monday. “GM Monte McNair drafted two guards in consecutive drafts (Davion Mitchell and Tyrese Haliburton) despite having De’Aaron Fox on the payroll, which suggests to executives around the league that Fox will be his main piece for a big move. But Fox is still Sacramento’s primary source of shot creation. Mitchell hasn’t proved he can run the show. Haliburton seems more like a secondary guy given his athletic limitations.”

Through 24 games this season, Fox is averaging 20.1 points on 42.9 percent shooting and 26.2 percent from three to go with 5.5 assists per contest, all dips from last season. His 3-point shooting percentage is his worst since arriving in the NBA back in 2017.

Fox signed a five-year, $163,000,300 deal back in November of 2020, the most lucrative contract in Kings history.

In his lone season at Kentucky in 2016-17, Fox averaged 16.7 points, 4.6 assists and 4.0 rebounds in 29.6 minutes per contest. He earned third-team All-America honors by CBS Sports, USA Today and ESPN and was named a consensus First-Team All-SEC member. Fox earned SEC Tournament MVP honors after averaging 22.0 points per game en route to the title.

Will Fox be the odd man out in Sacramento?