De’Aaron Fox Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Fox, Moody, Warriors, Coffey

February 2nd, 2022 at 5:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox said his injured left ankle is improving and he hopes to play tonight against the Nets, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Fox, who is listed as questionable after missing the last five games, said an MRI didn’t reveal any structural damage, but he still experiences pain on cuts and lateral movements.

“It’s getting better,” Fox told reporters after this morning’s shootaround. “I want to come back as close to 100% as I can.”

Sacramento dropped all five games that Fox missed, part of an overall seven-game losing streak that has the team three games out of the play-in tournament. The Kings are just 1-8 this season without Fox in their lineup.

Fox said the injury occurred in a January 19 game against Detroit. He was able to finish that game, but was held out three days later against the Bucks due to problems with the ankle.

“I’ve twisted my ankle a lot of times,” he said. “That’s the reason I wear ankle braces, and usually I’m fine and it will hurt for a little bit, but in Milwaukee it just felt different. Tried to do a move and it hurt, so I was out and it’s kind of been lingering … so for me it’s just trying to be able to come to a stop without feeling pain.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Warriors rookie Moses Moody has been putting up big numbers in the G League all season while waiting for his chance to show he can score at the NBA level. With Golden State’s starting backcourt sitting out Tuesday’s game in San Antonio, Moody hit six three-pointers on his way to a 20-point night, per Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. “Yeah, it’s an opportunity,” Moody said. “I’ve been waiting patiently on it, I knew it would come. Now that it’s my time to shine, I’ve been preparing. When preparation meets opportunity, that’s when things happen.”
The Warriors were missing seven rotation players on Tuesday, providing a glimpse at how they believe they can be successful in the future while contending for a title now, notes Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle. “We want this franchise to be special for a long time,” coach Steve Kerr said. “I want this team to succeed for long after I’m gone from coaching. … Tonight was a great high for us.”
Amir Coffey, in his third season as a two-way player, was an unlikely candidate to save the Clippers‘ season, writes Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. But since he joined the starting lineup following an injury to Paul George, Coffey is playing a team-high 31.4 minutes per night and averaging 14.7 PPG.

Knicks Notes: Randle, Fox, Perry, Arcidiacono

February 1st, 2022 at 12:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau has admitted to associates that he hasn’t been able to get Julius Randle to exhibit the same selflessness he had last season, an NBA source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. Randle’s downturn has been a major reason why the team has fallen into the race for the play-in tournament after finishing fourth in the East a year ago.

Many observers believe the $117MM extension that Randle signed during the offseason has changed his approach to the game, as he now feels that he has to take on a greater part of the scoring load to justify the contract. Berman also cites incidents where Randle has looked disinterested — he didn’t join a team huddle in a game last week and he has walked away from teammates who have been knocked to the ground rather than helping them up.

The Knicks are willing to consider everything heading into the deadline, sources tell Berman, even a deal involving Randle, who emerged as a team leader last season while capturing Most Improved Player honors. Berman suggests that Randle’s regression, along with his battles with fans and media, may convince team president Leon Rose that he’s no longer suited for a leadership role.

There’s more from New York:

The Kings‘ De’Aaron Fox may be a natural target for the Knicks, who have been searching for a point guard for years, Berman adds in the same piece. New York general manager Scott Perry drafted Fox when he worked in Sacramento, but Berman says it’s no longer clear how much influence Perry has in the organization. He doesn’t accompany the team on the road, and the only executive currently making road trips is William Wesley, who Berman said has surpassed Perry in the team’s power structure.
Derrick Rose needs to be active at the trade deadline to have any hope of turning this season around, argues Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post. Vaccaro considers RJ Barrett, Rose, and Quentin Grimes to be the team’s untouchable players, along with Cam Reddish, only because the Knicks just gave up a first-round pick to acquire him. Everyone else, Vaccaro adds, should be available in the right deal.
Ryan Arcidiacono‘s 10-day contract expired over the weekend, Berman tweets. The Knicks will keep the roster spot open for now, which could be an advantage heading into the deadline. Arcidiacono didn’t see any game action during his time with the team.

Pacific Notes: Westbrook, LeBron, Warriors, Fox

January 29th, 2022 at 6:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers hope Russell Westbrook‘s performance Friday night in Charlotte will lead to better things for the rest of the season, writes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis both sidelined by injuries, Westbrook exploded for 30 points in the second half and nearly rallied the team to a road win.

Westbrook was the Lakers’ prize acquisition of the offseason, but his fit with the other two stars has been questionable so far. Although his name has been mentioned in trade rumors, Westbrook remains confident that he can make it work in L.A.

“I think ultimately when myself and A.D. and Bron is on the court, we got to be able to figure that out to where I can still keep my same speed and pace to the basket and allow me to make the game easy for them,” he said. “And it’s something that we even briefly talked about after the game, about positioning and things they saw tonight from sitting on the bench, to be able to help them out.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

James will miss his third straight game Sunday at Atlanta because of “left knee soreness/effusion,” tweets Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. The Lakers are listing Davis as questionable.
The Warriors had to adjust after Klay Thompson‘s return, but Thursday’s win over Minnesota showed how dangerous Golden State can be when all the pieces are working, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Thompson and Stephen Curry combined for 52 points and the Warriors shot 58.3% as a team from three-point range. “It’s a really good indicator of what our team can look like with Klay back and everybody healthy, for the most part, in terms of our shooters,” coach Steve Kerr said. “With these last couple of games, the spacing that we’ve had and the ball movement, we’ve gotten great shots.”
Kings guard De’Aaron Fox had to miss his fourth straight game tonight with pain in his left ankle, tweets James Ham of ESPN 1320.“Don’t know how long he’ll be out,” said interim coach Alvin Gentry. “It is a sore ankle. That’s been it. He dresses, he tries it and then he’s really the only one that knows the pain threshold of where it is or anything. All it is is an ankle right now, there’s not anything else going on.”

Stein’s Latest: Grant, Simmons, Fox, Millsap, McCollum

January 28th, 2022 at 12:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Some rival teams believe there’s something of a split within the Pistons organization on the idea of trading Jerami Grant, says Marc Stein in his latest Substack column.

Signing Grant was one of the first major moves made by general manager Troy Weaver when he took the reins in Detroit’s front office in 2020, and he’s had a “longstanding affinity” for the forward, as Stein writes. However, there’s a belief that Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem is more open to the idea of trading Grant before the deadline.

Echoing some previous reporting, Stein suggests the Pistons want a significant return for Grant, who in turn wants a significant offensive role and a contract extension with whatever team acquires him. Finding a trade partner willing to check all those boxes could be a challenge for Detroit, so there’s no guarantee the 27-year-old will be on the move by February 10.

Here’s more from Stein:

Teams that have been in touch with the Sixers don’t believe Daryl Morey is bluffing about his willingness to hang onto Ben Simmons through the trade deadline, says Stein. However, clubs are less convinced about reports that De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton are off-limits for the Kings — according to Stein, there’s a sense among rival executives that Fox, in particular, could be had.
Paul Millsap is away from the Nets as the team seeks a new home for the veteran big man. Stein hears from sources that Brooklyn would ideally like to upgrade their perimeter shooting in the process of moving Millsap. That could mean either trading Millsap for a shooter or trading him and then signing a shooter using the newly-opener roster spot.
Anfernee Simons‘ emergence in Portland has sparked “some of the loudest speculation” that the Trail Blazers are finally prepared to break up their longtime backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, Stein writes. There has been no indication that the team is interested in shopping the injured Lillard, so McCollum will be the trade candidate to watch. A Thursday report stated that he has been linked most frequently to New Orleans.

Kings Rumors: Holmes, Haliburton, Fox, Randle

January 21st, 2022 at 1:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Examining the Kings‘ options at the trade deadline, James Ham of The Kings Beat confirms previous reporting from Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic, writing that Sacramento no longer has interest in taking on Tobias Harris‘ contract in any Ben Simmons deal and that De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton are off the table in trade discussions involving Domantas Sabonis.

While Fox and Haliburton are presumed to be off-limits, the Kings would be open to discussing virtually any other player on their roster, according to Ham. That includes center Richaun Holmes, who was just re-signed to a four-year contract during the 2021 offseason. Holmes, Harrison Barnes, and Buddy Hield would be among Sacramento’s prime trade candidates in any move for an impact player.

A league source tells Ham that the Kings – who are “working overtime” to seek out viable deals – won’t be eager to sacrifice future draft assets, but would be open to trading picks for quality players who are under contract for multiple years and who complement Fox and Haliburton.

Here’s more out of Sacramento:

Tyrese Haliburton has exited the NBA’s health and safety protocols, as reported by… well, Haliburton himself (Twitter link). Sacramento no longer has any players in the protocols.
De’Aaron Fox, who spoke to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports last week about his reaction to being included in trade rumors, discussed the subject again during a media session on Wednesday night, downplaying his concerns. “Am I worried about anything? No,” Fox said (video link via Ham). “Do I know stuff can happen? Yeah. But I’m not worried at all, no.”
Asked in a video mailbag for SNY.tv about the possibility of the Knicks acquiring Fox, Ian Begley says some people in the Kings’ front office were interested in Julius Randle even before his breakout season in 2020/21. However, Begley is skeptical that there’s a major deal to be made between the two teams.

Kings Tell De’Aaron Fox They Don’t Want To Trade Him

January 19th, 2022 at 4:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have informed De’Aaron Fox and agent Chris Gaston that they don’t want to trade the 24-year-old guard, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Fox’s name has surfaced more frequently in trade rumors as of late, including earlier today. However, sources tell Charania that the Kings’ current mindset is that they want to keep both Fox and second-year guard Tyrese Haliburton and build the team around them. Sacramento has conveyed that stance to potential trade partners and to Fox and his reps, says Charania.

Multiple reports this week stated that the Kings have expressed interest in Pacers center Domantas Sabonis, with one report suggesting Fox had been brought up in those discussions. Charania says a deal centered around Sabonis and Fox won’t happen.

The Kings are also believed to be very much in the hunt for Ben Simmons, though Sam Amick of The Athletic – who previously reported that Sacramento was open to the idea of acquiring Tobias Harris along with Simmons – now hears from a source that the team doesn’t have interest in that scenario (Twitter link). Amick says the Kings still see a pathway to landing Simmons, but it’s hard to imagine how they’ll construct an offer that meets the Sixers‘ asking price without including either Fox or Haliburton.

Fox and Haliburton were reported last summer to be off-limits, but that changed earlier this month, as Amick reported that no Kings players were considered untouchable. While that report – and others – stated that Sacramento’s preference would be to build around Fox and Haliburton, there had been a sense that the team was becoming more open to doing something drastic and perhaps breaking up its backcourt.

Based on Charania’s report, it sounds like the Kings are once again leaning toward making Fox and Haliburton untouchable. It’s possible they arrived at their latest position as a result of being underwhelmed by how the two guards were being valued on the trade market — it’s also possible this is posturing and Sacramento will reverse its stance again within the next three weeks.

For now though, it appears that any major move made by the Kings will involve some combination of Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Marvin Bagley III, and others on the roster rather than Fox or Haliburton.

Latest On Kings’ Pursuit Of Ben Simmons

January 19th, 2022 at 3:22pm CST by Luke Adams

After Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that Ben Simmons appears to be “front and center” in the Kings‘ trade deadline plans and said the team is open to acquiring Tobias Harris along with Simmons, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer has published a report with more details on Sacramento’s pursuit of the Sixers‘ star.

According to Pompey, sources have repeatedly stated the Sixers aren’t interested in a deal headlined by De’Aaron Fox, who would be one of the Kings’ best trade chips.

One source tells Pompey the Kings have considered offering Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, and two first-round picks in exchange for Simmons, Harris, and Matisse Thybulle. However, that source also said the Sixers aren’t interested in that package; a second source tells Pompey that Philadelphia has yet to receive a formal offer from Sacramento.

Pompey hears from that second source that the Kings and Sixers haven’t discussed Philadelphia’s younger players like Thybulle, whom the source classifies as borderline untouchable. However, sources tell Pompey that Sacramento has done background work on Thybulle, Isaiah Joe, and Paul Reed.

Even if the Kings were willing to put the aforementioned Haliburton/Hield/Barnes offer on the table, they’d need to either reroute Harris to a third team or add at least one more player – such as Tristan Thompson or Marvin Bagley III – to make the deal work financially.

The Kings and Sixers haven’t yet gained any “significant traction” on a deal, Pompey writes.

Here are a few more noteworthy tidbits from Pompey’s report:

The Sixers have denied that they’re shopping Harris or want to attach him to a Simmons trade, but multiple teams and sources have told Pompey that’s the case.
According to Pompey, before sending Cam Reddish to New York, the Hawks considered offering John Collins, Reddish, and a first-round pick for Simmons, but the Sixers brought Harris’ name into discussions, ending those talks.
Pompey confirmed there are league executives who believe the Sixers would be comfortable hanging onto Simmons for the rest of the season. He also confirmed that the three-time All-Star is prepared to sit out the remainder of the season in that scenario.
Sources tell Pompey that the 76ers are continuing to fine Simmons for the games he misses, but not for more minor infractions.

Trade Rumors: Simmons, Kings, Blazers, Rockets, THT, Jazz

January 19th, 2022 at 11:51am CST by Luke Adams

David Aldridge, John Hollinger, and Sam Amick of The Athletic, participating in a roundtable discussion on Ben Simmons, all say they believe the Sixers are more likely than not to move the three-time All-Star by the February 10 trade deadline. Over the weekend, big man Joel Embiid publicly backed the idea of the team waiting as long as it needs to maximize the return for Simmons, but Amick says people in Simmons’ camp are unconvinced that Embiid is willing to be as patient as he claims.

“Joel is Daryl (Morey), and Daryl is Joel,” one source told The Athletic, suggesting both the Sixers’ star center and president of basketball operations could be posturing to increase the team’s leverage.

Amick, adding some extra details to his previous reporting on Simmons and the Kings, says the Sixers’ point guard appears to be “front and center” in Sacramento’s deadline plans, ahead of Domantas Sabonis.

Amick also reiterates that the Kings appear to be seriously considering the idea of acquiring Tobias Harris along with Simmons, though he suggests that Philadelphia would likely push for more than De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, and Harrison Barnes in exchange for that duo. For what it’s worth, sources tell Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com that the Kings have done due diligence on Simmons, Harris, and Sixers forward Matisse Thybulle.

Unlike Sacramento, the Hawks appear to have “zero interest” in taking on Harris along with Simmons in a John Collins-centric trade, says Amick.

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the league:

Although the Trail Blazers may be sellers in the short term, the team would still like to land an impact player to pair with Damian Lillard for when he gets healthy, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, who hears that Jaylen Brown and Jerami Grant are among the potential targets on Portland’s radar. The Blazers were believed to be interested in Myles Turner, and if they’re focused more on 2022/23 than this season, the Pacers‘ center could still be an option worth pursuing, Amick notes.
There’s plenty of chatter around the league about the Rockets being even more willing to make deadline deals than previously believed, per Amick. Houston remains on the lookout for a potential franchise player and is open to “all sorts of possibilities,” one rival executive tells The Athletic.
Dan Woike and Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times confirm that the Lakers are shopping Talen Horton-Tucker in trade discussions. Rival teams believe L.A. still values the young guard, but his $9.5MM salary makes him one of the club’s only real trade chips.
The Jazz continue to scout the market in search of an upgrade on the wing, particularly on defense, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN. “They’re seeing if they can find their own Aaron Gordon trade,” one general manager told ESPN, referring to Denver’s acquisition of Gordon last March. “I’m not sure if they’ll find it.” While the Jazz are said to be interested in Jerami Grant, their ability to make a strong offer is limited by the fact that they’ve already traded away two future first-round picks and don’t have the sort of promising young prospects who could headline a package.

Kings Eyeing Domantas Sabonis, Discussing De’Aaron Fox

January 19th, 2022 at 7:43am CST by Luke Adams

The Kings are interested in Domantas Sabonis and have recently ramped up their pursuit of the Pacers big man, a league source tells Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.

According to Anderson, Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, who was considered off-limits when the team talked to the Sixers in the summer about Ben Simmons, has now been included in separate trade discussions involving Sabonis and Simmons.

Sam Amick of The Athletic, who reported earlier in the month that the Kings no longer view Fox as untouchable, stated during a radio appearance on Sports 1140 KHTK (hat tip to HoopsHype) that the team is eyeing both Sabonis and Simmons, and suggested that he wouldn’t be surprised if Sacramento makes a “big-time” trade in the coming days or weeks.

“There is a fair amount of pressure for this roster to look pretty different after the deadline,” Amick said.

Multiple reports, dating back to early December, have indicated that the Pacers are open to the idea of trading one of Sabonis or Myles Turner, but wouldn’t move both players. Turner had long been considered the most likely trade candidate of the two, but his left foot injury may diminish his value leading up to the deadline, opening the door for a Sabonis deal.

The Pacers would want an All-Star caliber player in return for Sabonis, according to Anderson, who hears that the team has received offers meeting that criteria. Fox hasn’t made an All-Star team, but Anderson suggests an offer that includes the 24-year-old and at least one draft pick could pique Indiana’s interest.

As for the Simmons scenario, Amick said this week on The Athletic NBA Show that he believes the Kings are “actually pondering” the idea of acquiring both Simmons and Tobias Harris from Philadelphia (hat tip to HoopsHype).

The 76ers have reportedly explored the idea of attaching Harris to a Simmons trade, which is viewed as complicated due to the duo’s $69MM cap hit in 2021/22, as well as the $190MM+ they’re owed beyond this season. However, Amick suggests that scenario isn’t off the table for Sacramento. Marc Stein also recently reported that there’s a sense around the league the Kings could be convinced to take on Harris’ oversized contract in a Simmons deal.

In addition to Fox, players like Buddy Hield, Marvin Bagley III, Tristan Thompson, and – to a lesser extent – Harrison Barnes have been cited as potential trade candidates for Sacramento. Presumably, if the Kings were to make a play for Sabonis, they’d also be open to discussing current starting center Richaun Holmes.

Kings Rumors: Fox, Haliburton, Simmons, Harris, Hield, Barnes

January 14th, 2022 at 1:01pm CST by Luke Adams

De’Aaron Fox‘s name has surfaced more frequently in trade rumors as of late, after Sam Amick of The Athletic reported earlier in the month that the Kings don’t consider the point guard untouchable. Like other reporters, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports has heard Sacramento’s internal plan is to continue building around Fox and Tyrese Haliburton, but Haynes also says the team has received an “abundance of interest” in its top two guards and doesn’t consider them entirely off-limits.

For his part, Fox is aware of the trade rumors and isn’t ruling out the possibility of being on the move by the February 10 trade deadline.

“You try not to think about it, but you know it’s a business and anything can happen,” Fox told Haynes. “I’m not sure what’s going to happen. Obviously, you see reports on Twitter. Am I worried about it? No. Can it happen? Yeah, it can definitely happen.”

The Kings haven’t come particularly close to ending their lengthy postseason drought since Fox joined the team in 2017. Still, the 24-year-old says he has “built a life” in Sacramento and wouldn’t be eager to join a new team, even if he recognizes it’s a possibility.

“I’m not going to sit here and say I want to get traded, but anything can happen in this business,” he said to Haynes. “You’ve seen the best players in the league get traded. You can’t think you’re safe. But I love being here because for years, the Kings were the only professional team in the city. Kings fans love the Kings. That’s what I’ve always loved about it. And me coming from Kentucky, that’s how it was. Even when we were good at football, no one cared. It was a basketball school. This is a basketball city and these fans have a genuine love for the Kings and the players, and it’s something that I love.”

Here’s more on the Kings:

In his discussion with Haynes, Fox also shared some thoughts on his offensive role: “I think I’m a scorer. Just with the work that I continue to put in and knowing what I do when the cameras are off. Just being one of the best scorers in the league, truthfully. I think I’ve proven that I can facilitate at times when need be. I was top five in assists before, but my game is more of being a scorer. Just being able to put all of that together and being one of the best scorers.”
According to Haynes, the Sixers “canvassed the prospect” of a Ben Simmons trade involving Fox in recent days, but those discussions were just exploratory. For what it’s worth, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com (Twitter link) continues to report that Philadelphia likely wouldn’t be interested in Fox as the centerpiece of a Simmons deal.
In his latest Substack column, Marc Stein says he has heard more than one rival executive classify the Kings as the closest thing to “favorites” in the Simmons sweepstakes, in part because there’s a sense they could be convinced to take on Tobias Harris‘ oversized contract.
Stein notes that the Kings are engaged with multiple teams on multiple scenarios, so their deadline could go in a number of different directions. According to Stein, there’s an expectation that Sacramento will trade Buddy Hield and there’s a “rising belief” that the team could also move Harrison Barnes. Marvin Bagley III remains a prime trade candidate too.
Sources tell Haynes that the Kings are expected to be “aggressively active” at the trade deadline.