De’Aaron Fox told us he wanted out of Sacramento without telling us. Believe him | Opinion
I’ve been lucky enough to call Sacramento home for almost a year now. Nothing makes you feel a part of this city quite like attending a Kings game.
My first Kings game was last April when they faced the Phoenix Suns in one the last games of the season. The winner would clinch a playoff spot and the loser would have to try their luck with the play-in tournament.
Late in the game, star guard De’Aaron Fox took the ball up the court to make the game-winning shot, only to have Suns guard Bradley Beal strip the ball out of Fox’s hands. Just like that the Kings’ chances of an easier path to the playoffs were squandered. They had two games to make the playoffs, winning the first but losing the second and getting eliminated by the New Orleans Pelicans.
Since that game, I’ve had a different opinion about Fox than long-time Kings fans. He’s a great scorer, but I wasn’t convinced that he was the player the Kings should build around for several reasons. It started with that game when I felt he was overly aggressive and didn’t make a smart decision in a game-winning situation.
I’ve wanted the Kings to test Fox’s trade value ever since.
“I think the Kings should trade De’Aaron Fox,” I said to my group of friends, who are diehard Kings fans.
I might as well have identified myself as a Trump supporter to a room full of liberals. My friends looked confused and seemed stunned that anyone would think to trade the franchise’s fifth-highest scorer.
But as this troubled season has progressed, Fox has been giving me more reasons to believe that he doesn’t want to be here. The Kings have tried to sign him to a contract extension, and he declined. When asked why by Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors on Green’s podcast, Fox said he waiting to see what the organization did this year first.
When he said that it seemed to me that Kings fans had to face the tough reality that it was time to let Fox go. Even if he said he hasn’t asked for a trade, he doesn’t have to. His refusal to sign a contract extension says he doesn’t want to be here without saying it and it’s too risky for the Kings to wait until the summer to find out for sure.
Letting Fox go would be tough, no question. But so was the dismissal of former coach Mike Brown. Everyone, including myself, thought it was a terrible decision. Well, the Kings are currently 11-5 with Christie as the interim head coach so it’s safe to say that Brown being let go was not a decision detrimental to what the Kings have done on the court.
Ownership and the front office have to maximize Fox’s value. He’s 27, in his prime.
Further, the guy just hasn’t seemed excited about being here.
Fox is no longer enthused about Sacramento
The love affair between the Kings fans and Fox has been one-sided.
When he was asked about the idea of leaving Sacramento, Fox didn’t show much sentiment.
“In this business, you have to put those emotions aside,” Fox said. “Obviously, everybody especially who were here during that long (postseason drought), and who was on this team when we made the playoffs, obviously that means a lot to everybody. “But in the business of basketball, you can’t have too much emotion.”
Give me a break. After playing for the Kings for almost a decade, full of ups and downs, awards and accomplishments, this is what he gives the fans.
The “it’s just business” mentality is a terrible response to fans who pay their hard-earned money weekend and week out to see the Kings play. It’s not a business to them. Emotions are what the fans give to sports. Of course, emotions will be involved.
Also, he has been playing us in this whole trade saga. Nothing says “I want out” like denying a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract.
If Fox doesn’t want to be in Sacramento, we should accept it. He gave the team eight years of good basketball but the signs of him heading toward exit have been there all season.
It’s time to let go.
This story was originally published January 31, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
