Day: January 29, 2025

The Sacramento Kings are evaluating trade offers for De’Aaron Fox ahead of the Feb. 6th trade deadline. Fox can become a free agent in 2026, which gives the franchise either this trade deadline or the 2025 offseason to execute a deal if they believe he will not sign a long-term extension.

“In a lot of ways, this is the Kings getting ahead of what’s coming in the offseason,” said Shams Charania on First Take. “He’s going to be a free agent in 2026, so if he were to be traded at the trade deadline, this gives them more time on his contract to potentially get more value instead of waiting for the summer when every team in the league knows they have to move De’Aaron Fox.

“The Kings, so far in conversations with all those teams, they’ve said they want win-now players. They want draft capital as well. This is a massive domino. De’Aaron Fox is in the prime of his career. He’s a max contract, no-brainer.”

Fox is believed to have a specific trade destination in mind, but that has not been confirmed yet on the record. There has been rampant speculation that the San Antonio Spurs are that team, which Charania said sources have told him.

“Him and his representation, Kluch Sports CEO Rich Paul, they have a destination already in mind,” said Charania. “I’ve asked Rich Paul to confirm what I’ve heard. He’s been unwilling to me to confirm, but league sources tell me the San Antonio Spurs are De’Aaron Fox’s preferred destination. The Kings will discuss deals with the Spurs. The Spurs have a level of interest. There’s multiple other teams with interest in De’Aaron Fox as well. They’re going to see if they can find a deal between now and that Feb. 6th NBA trade deadline and if they can recoup the utmost value for De’Aaron Fox. If he’s a rental for any other team, there is question on what price you’re willing to pay.”

Jalen Johnson will undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder and will be out for the remainder of the season. Johnson finishes his fourth NBA season with averages of 18.9 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 35.7 minutes over 36 games.

Johnson suffered the injury last Thursday against the Toronto Raptors.

Johnson and the Atlanta Hawks agreed to a five-year, $150 million contract extension before the start of the season.

The Milwaukee Bucks have shown interest in Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine. The Bucks are reportedly looking for additional perimeter help. The Bulls have continued to make LaVine available, despite reports that LaVine would now prefer to remain in Chicago for the rest of this season.

The Bucks have also been linked to Bradley Beal of the Phoenix Suns. That would possibly come as part of a deal that lands Jimmy Butler in Phoenix. The Bulls were also said to have some interest in Beal, but the veteran guard has reportedly made it known that he would not approve a trade to Chicago.

In a deal that sends LaVine to Milwaukee, the Bucks would likely have to trade a combination of Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton to match salary. Milwaukee is facing the complication of needing to finish a trade by getting under the second apron in order to aggregate player salaries in a deal. That means a multi-team trade could be the easiest path to bringing a high-salary star to the Bucks.