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The Los Angeles Lakers are among the few teams named as a potential landing spot for Sacramento Kings All-NBA point guard De’Aaron Fox if he asks out, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
“If he does ask out, San Antonio and Houston—keep an eye on those two. I’ve heard Lakers, but it’s hard for me to tell how much of that is just people jumping to conclusions because he’s a Klutch client. And then I’ve heard Miami with the Bam [Adebayo] connection there,” MacMahon said on the “Hoop Collective” podcast on December 27.
Fox, who made it to the All-NBA Third Team and the Clutch Player of the Year in 2023, is on the fourth year of a five-year, $163 million deal with the Kings. Next summer, Fox will be eligible for a four-year, $229 million extension.
But his future in Sacramento has been clouded with uncertainty after his agent, Rich Paul, met with Sacramento Kings general manager Monte McNair and assistant general manager Wes Wilcox last week, per Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
“The discussion, league and team sources said, was focused on an existential question that needs to be answered if this partnership that began eight seasons ago between Fox and the Kings is going to continue long term,” Amick and Slater wrote.
Fox declined the Kings’ three-year, $165 million extension offer in the offseason. It was a move not only to position himself for a more lucrative payday after this season but also to see if the Kings can truly help him contend for championships.
Lakers ‘Open’ to Trading First-Round Picks
The Fox trade rumor linking the Lakers came on the heels of MacMahon’s ESPN colleague Shams Charania’s report that the team is now open to trading their draft capital.
“My sources in that Lakers front office tell me they’re open to moving — they’ve got three first-round picks they can trade,” Charania said on the “First Take” on December 26. “They’re open to moving that in a potential trade, but they want a player or players that they feel can get into this iteration of this team now with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but can also play for three, four or five more years under JJ Redick as the coach.”
The Lakers could technically offer three first-round picks for Fox, but one of those is the top-4 protected pick in 2027, which they currently owe to the Utah Jazz in the Russell Westbrook trade in 2023. They could trade that protection (meaning if it lands within the top four) in addition to their 2029 and 2031 selections.
They would add more draft capital if they stand pat on the February 6 trade deadline and wait until the offseason to make a move.
Can De’Aaron Fox Change Lakers Calculus?
While the Lakers are expected to be active buyers as the February 6 trade deadline approaches, they are not expected to make a splashy move.
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers “are not anticipated to be heavily in the mix for Miami’s Jimmy Butler, New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram or Chicago’s Zach LaVine.”
Butler, Ingram and LaVine are the biggest names who could be traded before February 6.
Buha added the Lakers have been eyeing “a tough, physical, defensive-minded center, a big 3-and-D wing who complements Davis and James as a starter/closer and a big, quick, athletic guard with point-of-attack defensive capabilities.”
Can the 27-year-old Fox, who was drafted fifth overall, three picks after the Lakers selected Lonzo Ball at No. 2, change the Lakers’ mind?
Fox’s age and dynamic playmaking fit Davis’ timeline even after James retires.
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