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The Sacramento Kings have listed De’Aaron Fox questionable for Saturday night’s game. The starting point guard was scheduled to show off his talents in front of Philadelphia 76ers’ brass and fans at Wells Fargo Center. Now Fox may be forced to sit the contest out.
Fox – the No. 5 overall pick in the 2017 draft – has been the subject of constant trade rumors for Ben Simmons dating back to mid-July. He and Tyrese Haliburton have been key sticking points in those conversations which have finally ceased. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Sacramento has ended its pursuit of Simmons and turned their attention elsewhere in trade talks. The Kings believe the “asking price is too high,” per Wojnarowski.
That shouldn’t stop Sixers fans from chanting the names of Fox and Haliburton. The trade deadline is rapidly approaching on February 10, although Sixers president Daryl Morey has gone on record saying a deal involving Simmons remains unlikely. Philadelphia may stay the course by keeping Simmons on the roster and calling his bluff.
“I can tell you that, for sure, there are deals with the Sacramento Kings that I think would work,” Morey told 97.5 The Fanatic on January 20. “Will those deals ever happen? I have no idea. Are there just trade deals with the Kings? Probably not.”
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Watch Out for ‘Awkward Conversation’
Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee has been closely charting the Simmons’ trade rumors, including reporting on potential deals. He confirmed that discussions between the Sixers and Kings had broken down with two weeks left before the deadline. Anderson joked that there could be “some awkward conversations” if Morey and Kings general manager Monte McNair ran into each other in the hot dog line at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday night.
“Morey and McNair know each other well from their years with the Houston Rockets,” Anderson wrote, “but after six months of discussions, and with less than two weeks remaining before the NBA trade deadline, Morey’s asking price remains too high, sources said.”
Potential packages for Simmons had centered on Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Marvin Bagley III, Richaun Holmes (via Jason Anderson) after talks broke down on Fox and Haliburton.
Tampering Charges on James Harden?
Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports reported that rival teams might ask the league to investigate possible tampering charges surrounding the Sixers’ pursuit of James Harden. There is a growing feeling among NBA insiders that Philly will wait until the offseason to pursue the 2018 MVP who may want out of Brooklyn.
Harden has a player option he can exercise at the end of the year, something many feel he will do as his frustrations with the Nets boil over. He sees Joel Embiid as a better championship tag-team partner. However, the existing relationship between Morey and Harden could be seen as tampering. Especially if the two parties have already engaged in trade talks.
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