David Dowt/NBAE via Getty Images
Three days after trading De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs in a three-team deal, Sacramento Kings general manager Monte McNair has opened up about the reasoning for moving the 27-year-old star.
McNair told reporters on Wednesday they had “no pathway to a long-term agreement” with Fox.
The full trade saw Fox and Jordan McLaughlin go to the Spurs, with Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko and six draft picks going to the Kings, plus the Chicago Bulls receiving Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter and their own 2025 first-round pick back from the Kings.
There had been indications for weeks prior to the trade that Fox’s time in Sacramento might be coming to an end sooner than later.
The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Anthony Slater reported on Dec. 21 that Fox’s agent, Rich Paul, sat down with Kings management to talk about the long-term direction of the organization before his client would commit to them on a contract extension.
Fox previously said in October that he turned down a three-year, $165 million extension from the Kings because he didn’t want to be locked in with a team that may not be consistently competing for a playoff spot.
Amick and Slater noted Fox specifically had his eye on the Spurs to pair with Victor Wembenyama.
It probably didn’t help the Kings’ negotiating position going forward that there were rumblings about Fox’s relationship with head coach Mike Brown when the club made the decision to fire him on Dec. 27.
Fox went so far as to publicly deny there was any truth to the rumblings he didn’t get along with Brown.
“I feel like there’s this perception that people thought that we were at odds,” Fox told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. “You can ask anybody in this organization: me and Mike have never even had an argument. We could disagree with something. We talked about it and it was gone.”
The Kings did get a quality player in the deal by roping the Bulls into it for LaVine. He’s not as highly-regarded as Fox, but their production this season isn’t too dissimilar.
Sacramento has been playing better under interim head coach Doug Christie. He has led the team to a 12-6 record in the last 18 games. The Kings have climbed up to eighth in the Western Conference with a 25-24 overall record.
