De’Aaron Fox on uncertain future, contract talks with Sacramento Kings: ‘Where are we going?’
Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox opened up regarding his uncertain future in Sacramento and his pending contract talks on a recent podcast with Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green.
Fox turned down a three-year, $165 million contract extension during the offseason. Waiting until this summer will make Fox eligible for a four-year, $229 million maximum extension or a five-year, $345 million supermax deal if he earns All-NBA honors, but it also gives him time to assess the direction of the franchise.
Fox made it clear that money isn’t the only thing on his mind when he explained his decision on the “Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis.” Fox also wants to know that he will have an opportunity to win in Sacramento.
Green asked Fox: “What was the motivation for you to pass on the extension?”
“For me, man, it has all to do with the team, the organization, where are we going?” Fox said. “I want to make sure that we’re in a position to try to win in the future because that’s ultimately what I want to do. I feel like I’m continuing to get better as a player every year. But for me, it’s ‘Are we looking like we’re continuing to get better year after year, and are we going to be able to compete at a high level?’
“If we can show that this year, you know, you sign the extension now. If not, obviously I still have another year, but that’s where my mindset is. I love the city. I love being here. I’ve raised my family here. I would love to be here and retire here. How many people can say they played in one organization for their whole career? I want to be a part of that select few people, but at the end of the day, I also want to win.”
The Kings (13-14) are 12th in the Western Conference as they prepare to face the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. They are 1 ½ games out of the final play-in spot and two games out of the No. 6 seed.
Fox has appeared in all 27 games this season, carrying the Kings at times amid a series of injuries to virtually every other player on the team. He is averaging 26.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals.
Fox is in the fourth year of a five-year, $163 million contract. If he doesn’t sign an extension this summer, the Kings will find themselves in a precarious position with pressure to trade Fox before he becomes an unrestricted free agent following the 2025-26 season.
This is Fox’s eighth season in Sacramento since coming out of Kentucky as the No. 5 pick in the 2017 NBA draft. He endured trying times before the Kings broke through to earn the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference in 2022-23, ending the longest playoff drought in NBA history after 16 consecutive losing seasons. Fox was rewarded with his first All-Star and All-NBA Third Team selections in 2023, but he wants more.
The Kings under general manager Monte McNair have made a series of moves to improve the roster around Fox. They traded for Domantas Sabonis, drafted Keegan Murray, signed Malik Monk and acquired DeMar DeRozan in a sign-and-trade deal, but they are still trying to establish themselves as perennial playoff contenders.
This story was originally published December 18, 2024 at 1:20 PM.
