SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 16: Keegan Murray #13 of the Sacramento Kings is congratulated by … [+]
This season has not gone according to plan for the Sacramento Kings. Heading into Christmas, Sacramento sat at just 13-17, 12th in the Western Conference. They had lost four games in a row and gone just 4-6 in their last ten games. This is not the trajectory the Kings had hoped for after finishing third in the West in 2022-2023 (48-34) and then ninth last season (46-36). They seem to be heading in the wrong direction. Per recent reports, Fox’s agent, Rich Paul, is assessing the situation in Sacramento and his client’s future, with rival teams monitoring.
The Houston Rockets, on the other hand, are trending in the opposite direction, currently at 20-9 and second in the West. They have won three in a row and seven of their last ten games. The Rockets are currently on pace to win 56 games, a striking turnaround from when they were one of the worst teams in the league during their rebuild. But they don’t have a true 1A star on the roster and have been linked to numerous names since the start of the season. The team’s war chest of trade assets adds fuel to the fire.
If things continue to spiral in Sacramento and Fox asks out before the deadline, how could the Rockets construct a deal? It gets tricky because the most obvious candidate to be moved, Rockets guard Jalen Green, would be very difficult to include in trades until next July given the extension he signed prior to the start of this season and the salary-matching rules of the league’s collective bargaining agreement. But the Rockets could use the salary of starting point guard Fred VanVleet as the base of any package, with the Kings able to realize immediate financial relief next season if declining VanVleet’s team option. The Rockets could add in picks owed from Brooklyn or the Phoenix Suns, as well as young players such as Cam Whitmore or Reed Sheppard.
Fox is in the middle of another All-Star campaign. He’s averaging 26.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game, shooting 48.3% overall from the field. But he’s shooting just 33.3% from long range. That figure is in line with his career average (33.4%) with his 36.9% figure last season likely being more of an aberration. One concern might be how Fox would fit into a Rockets lineup that is one of the worst in the league. The two players that project to be the Rockets’ best over the next era, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson, are both non-shooters. Adding Fox could be a tricky mix, unless role players such as Jabari Smith Jr. made a leap shooting the ball. Otherwise, it could be even tougher for Sengun to operate in the paint.
Fox is currently earning $34.85 million this season. He is slated to earn $37.096 million in 2025-2026, when he will be 28 years old. Fox can become an unrestricted free agent in 2026-2027. If committing major assets to a Fox acquisition, the Rockets will need to feel confident in their ability to sign him to a veteran extension. It’s a situation worth monitoring.
