3 days Ago By Eric Pincus
Competing executives around the league were surprised to learn that the Sacramento Kings fired head coach Mike Brown. The Kings (13-19) were underperforming, but the franchise recently extended his multiyear contract. Those same executives now wonder how long De'Aaron Fox will remain in Sacramento.
Fox will be extension-eligible this offseason with hopes of earning All-NBA honors and a supermax contract starting at approximately $59.5 million in 2026-27. That seems out of reach, and his max extension would start at $51 million (which is still a massive payday)—a number he can get from any team (unlike the supermax, which could only be from Sacramento).
Grumblings in NBA circles suggest Fox will push for a trade before the February 6 deadline and that the Kings will likely entertain all options. One team stands out as their best potential trade partner: the Houston Rockets. Sacramento Kings get: Houston Rockets get: Note: The King and Rockets have several picks to choose from (quantity, type, year, etc.
). Protections are also negotiable. McDermott cannot be dealt until January 16.
He can be removed from the deal if it needs to go through before then. Sacramento waives Jae Crowder and Orlando Robinson to open roster space for five incoming players. If both players are not waived on or before January 7, their salaries will be fully guaranteed for the season.
If McDermott is not included in the deal, the Kings must open another roster spot. The basic assumption is that Fox pushes for a trade, and the Kings aren't ready to commit the kind of salary he'd expect in an extension. If so, then Sacramento needs to maximize its return.
Other teams can offer veterans, picks, and/or prospects, but few can match what Houston can with Sheppard and Whitmore. Sheppard, the No. 3 overall pick in June, was named most likely to win Rookie of the Year and was picked as the best player from his class in five years (via the annual GM survey, H/T John Schuhmann of NBA.
com). "They'd love Reed in Sacramento," one Eastern Conference executive said about Fox to Houston. The Rockets are among the better teams in the West, which has limited Sheppard's minutes and opportunity to develop.
Whitmore, similarly, has seen a diminished role since his impressive 2023-24 campaign as the No. 20 pick in 2023. Tate and Landale are capable of playing rotation minutes in Sacramento.
Green is more of a positive veteran presence than a regular player. The Kings lose Lyles, who is believed to be on the trade block, and McDermott (currently a low-minute, borderline rotation player). Sacramento would try to pry others from the Rockets, perhaps Jabari Smith Jr.
, Tari Eason or Amen Thompson. Houston may be unlikely to budge, preferring to give up draft compensation over players they highly value. That would be the crux of a negotiation: which picks and how many? An alternative path might have Sacramento choosing Fred VanVleet to replace Fox, but he's a much larger, limiting salary and nearly 31.
The Rockets entered the offseason with close eyes on Donovan Mitchell (28) of the Cavaliers, but the 2017 No. 13 pick chose to extend with Cleveland. The franchise was also believed to be eying the Milwaukee Bucks to see if Giannis Antetokounmpo would force a trade , but the Bucks stabilized and went on to win the NBA Cup.
Houston also voiced privately that chasing an older player like Jimmy Butler (35) of the Miami Heat didn't make enough sense given the team's current age group (younger stars like Jalen Green and Alperen Şengün). Meanwhile, the Rockets have outperformed expectations (even internal ones) to start the season 21-10. The team is still considering a move to improve their immediate chances, but carefully.
There's little interest in losing core players. Since the team probably can't invest the minutes necessary to develop Sheppard and Whitmore properly, they're the obvious young players to go out for Fox. While Thompson and Eason are also younger, they're strong defenders who fit coach Ime Udoka's playstyle.
For Houston, it's really about deciding who to cash out its chips (picks) for and whether Fox is the right choice, or if someone they view as "better" comes along (remember that Fox was named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2023). That he plays the same position as VanVleet is a positive since he's the primary player who doesn't fit the team's age range. In the meantime, Udoka can sort out the rotation.
The going rate for All-Stars (Fox made the 2022-23 team) is "a whole bunch of picks and prospects," and while it's a risk for Houston, Fox could help provide a badly needed offensive boost without stripping out what the Rockets need to stay competitive in the West. Lyles and McDermott provide additional depth, and the team can sign minimum players to get back to the required 14 regular contracts. Houston stays under the luxury tax this season (as do the Kings).
Next year, the team would presumably opt VanVleet out of his final year at $44.9 million and either retain him at more than half the price or put those resources elsewhere. Assuming Fox proves a good fit, he and the team can negotiate a long-term extension this summer.
Email Eric Pincus at [email protected] and follow him on X/Twitter @EricPincus .
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