Sacramento Kings Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets Aren’t Interested In De’Aaron Fox Deal

January 28th, 2025 at 6:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cross the Rockets off the list of potential suitors for De’Aaron Fox, according to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko.

With the revelation that the Kings might consider dealing their leading scorer before next week’s deadline, Houston has been mentioned as a potential landing spot. However, Iko hears the Rockets aren’t interested in making a major move until at least the offseason. That echoes a Marc Stein report regarding the Rockets’ reluctance to pursue a blockbuster deal.

Rockets front office executives learned through recent conversations with Kings officials that there’s an increasing likelihood of a potential Fox trade, according to Iko.

In the Rockets’ thinking, it’s not time to mess with a good thing. They currently lead the Southwest Division and sit second in the Western Conference standings. The Rockets’ front office is pleased with the growth of its young roster and wants to ride out the rest of the season with that core group, as general manager Rafael Stone stated publicly last month.

Team sources told Iko they’re only interesting in making a marginal move that wouldn’t impact the current rotation. The Rockets would seek draft compensation in the form of second-round picks to take on additional salary in such a trade.

That’s because the Rockets aren’t saddled with the same restrictions as some contenders who are above the first or second tax aprons. The Rockets are approximately $10.6MM under the luxury tax and still have their $12.8MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception available to use in a trade.

While there will likely be plenty of other teams with interest in Fox, multiple reports have indicated that San Antonio is believed to be the guard’s preferred destination.

Kings Expected To Entertain Trading De’Aaron Fox

January 28th, 2025 at 3:29pm CST by Luke Adams

3:29pm: Fox’s preferred landing spot is believed to be San Antonio, reports James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link).

However, agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports remains open about where his client might land and is expected to talk to interested teams ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, according to Amick, who says Paul told the Kings it might be in their best interests to move Fox sooner rather than later.

2:41pm: The Kings are expected to open up discussions about the possibility of moving De’Aaron Fox ahead of next Thursday’s trade deadline, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

According to Charania, there will likely be many teams with interest in Fox, though there’s a belief that the star guard – who can become a free agent in 2026 – is targeting a specific destination.

Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link) confirms that piece of intel, adding that Fox has “continued to signal a lack of interest” in signing a contract extension with Sacramento. NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link) also hears that the 27-year-old is “zeroed in” on a specific team and says other potential suitors will be discouraged from acquiring him.

The timing of the news is interesting, given that the Kings have played their best basketball of the season over the past month, following the dismissal of head coach Mike Brown. Sacramento had a 13-19 record as of December 30, but has since climbed to 24-22 by winning 11 of its past 14 games under new coach Doug Christie.

Still, Fox’s contract situation in Sacramento is tenuous. He turned down a three-year, maximum-salary extension offer during the 2024 offseason, ostensibly because he’d have the opportunity to earn a more lucrative deal during the summer of 2025 — at that time, he’d be eligible for a four-year max deal or, if he earns All-NBA honors this season, a five-year super-max extension.

Fox subsequently spoke in both October and December about not wanting to commit long-term to Sacramento unless he was sure the team was able to “compete at a high level” and wasn’t just “fighting for a playoff spot.” Even after their recent surge, the Kings fall into that latter category. They currently hold the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference.

Reports in recent weeks have indicated that the Kings continue to seek out upgrades for their roster in the hopes of improving their playoff chances. Players like Brooklyn forward Cameron Johnson and Utah big man John Collins have been most frequently mentioned as potential targets.

However, the Kings may be reluctant to give up future assets for supplemental pieces if they’re not confident about their ability to retain Fox beyond his current contract and uncertain whether those potential additions would help convince him to stay.

A report last month indicated that the Spurs were positioning themselves to pursue Fox if he were made available.

The Rockets, who reportedly had interest in Donovan Mitchell last year, are also viewed as a logical suitor, with Fred VanVleet‘s maximum-salary contract only guaranteed through this season, notes Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link). However, NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link) hears that Houston remains reluctant to make a major in-season move.

Sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link) that the Nets are among the teams with Fox on their radar and are monitoring the situation. Amick said earlier this month that the Heat and Lakers are frequently discussed by people around the league as possible Fox suitors, with the Magic also believed to be considering the idea of going after him.

Of course, we don’t yet know the identity of the team Fox reportedly has his eye on, which figures to have a substantial impact on how the Kings’ trade talks play out.

For what it’s worth, opposing executives who have spoken to Begley (Twitter link) believe San Antonio is among the teams Fox would like to play for. During an NBA Today appearance on Tuesday afternoon (Twitter video link), Charania said the Lakers aren’t Fox’s destination of choice.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), if Fox’s preferred destination has cap room in 2026, that team could sign him outright at that point. But if Fox gets dealt to that team – along with his Bird rights – prior to 2026, he could sign a far more lucrative contract, worth up to a projected $296MM over five years instead of $219MM over four.

Because Fox is under contract for one more season beyond this one, the Kings aren’t necessarily under the gun to make a decision on his future by February 6. If he remains in Sacramento through the trade deadline, the team could revisit its trade options during the 2025 offseason.

Pacific Notes: Curry, Fox, Richards, Dunn

January 26th, 2025 at 9:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Stephen Curry has a right thumb injury, but the Warriors superstar won’t use that as an excuse for his recent subpar shooting, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes. Curry missed all eight of his second-half field goal attempts in a loss to the Lakers on Saturday. He’s averaging 16.5 points per game over his last four outings.

“It sucks, but it’s not an excuse for anything,” Curry said. “Got to play through it. I went 8-for-8 with it [against the Sixers). It’s just something that has been lingering to the point that it gets hit every once in a while. It’s one of those things. It is almost gone, and then it gets knocked again. I will deal with it, but it shouldn’t bother me like it did (Saturday).”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

De’Aaron Fox has a sprained right thumb but, like Curry, the Kings guard says he can play through it. Fox went 6-of-20 against the Knicks on Saturday and has shot 32% from the field over his last six games. “People can make up the excuse they want,” he said, per Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee. “Sometimes you just don’t play well. I’m just missing shots. That’s the way the game goes sometimes.”
In his fourth game since being acquired by the Suns, Nick Richards had a 20-point, 19-rebound outing against Washington on Saturday. “I’m just taking full advantage of it,” Richards said of his opportunity to be Phoenix’s starting center, per a tweet from PHNX Sports (video link). “It was a great time in Charlotte, I had the most amazing time with some of the best people in the world. But I’m here right now, and I’m taking full advantage of every single thing that the Suns are giving me.”
Suns rookie forward Ryan Dunn won’t play on Monday against the Clippers. He’s listed as out due to a left ankle sprain, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports tweets. Dunn, who has started 24 games, played just two minutes against the Wizards before suffering the injury.

Jazz Notes: Tanking, Markkanen, Mills, Williams, Collins

January 23rd, 2025 at 7:26am CST by Luke Adams

Several Jazz players who have sat out recent games likely would’ve been playing more if the team were contending for a playoff spot, writes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune.

That group includes Lauri Markkanen, who missed four consecutive games due to back spasms, and John Collins, who was out for eight straight due to left hip injury management. Third-year center Walker Kessler sat out a game last week in a non-back-to-back situation due to “rest.”

As Larsen writes, the Jazz are in full-on tank mode, which is probably the right long-term move for the franchise, given the challenges of attracting free agents to Utah and the need to build through the draft. Still, Larsen isn’t in favor of the NBA system that incentivizes losing and sought out a pair of Jazz veterans to get their thoughts on tanking.

“I don’t think losing, or purposefully losing, should be part of professional sports,” said Markkanen, who signed a long-term extension with Utah in August. “I feel like athletes always want to compete. I understand why some organizations around the NBA are doing it, but I feel like it sucks, in my opinion. There should be a better way to build rosters. That’s the way it’s been, so I understand it, but that’s my opinion.”

Veteran guard Patty Mills conveyed a similar sentiment.

“I don’t know. I don’t know. I’ve always played for purpose. I play for purpose, that’s for sure. So when purpose isn’t there, it’s definitely hard,” Mills said. “It’s obviously a business, and everyone realizes when you get to this stage. There are situations that will happen that will remind you of that. At the end of the day — it’s a business call for sure — our job is to go out there and help develop, help teach, especially these young guys, how to be professionals.”

Here’s more on the Jazz, who fell to 10-32 with a loss in Oklahoma City on Wednesday:

Jazz rookie Cody Williams, who left Monday’s game vs. New Orleans due to what the team referred to as a left ankle sprain, was wearing a boot and was on crutches in the locker room after the game, according to Larsen, who suggests (via Twitter) the No. 10 overall pick may be facing a “decently long” absence. Williams wasn’t available for Wednesday’s game in OKC.
In a separate Salt Lake Tribune story, Larsen highlights Collins’ return from his eight-game injury absence, noting that the big man’s performance on Wednesday certainly didn’t hurt his trade value — Collins had 22 points and 12 rebounds vs. the Thunder and was a plus-12 in 26 minutes in a game Utah lost by nine points. Larsen also explores whether rumors linking Collins to the Kings make sense.
Appearing on the Jazz’s game broadcast on Wednesday, general manager Justin Zanik explained the thinking behind the team’s decision to trade three “least favorable” first-round picks in 2025 and 2027 and 2029 to the Suns in exchange for Phoenix’s unprotected 2031 first-rounder, as Larsen relays. “The way it makes sense for us is that we now have another shot at a pick that has a lot of variability. The three picks we traded have no chance to be the No. 1 pick, and this one does,” Zanik said. “It balances out what we want, but we’ve always talked about bites at the apple or more swings in the draft, but it also is about the quality of the swings, and this is, in my opinion, the most valuable asset on the market right now.”

Mike Brown's Firing Was A First For DeMar DeRozan

January 22nd, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

DeMar DeRozan came to Sacramento to play for Mike Brown, but the Kings fired their head coach in late December. In an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, DeRozan said it’s a first for him in his long NBA career. “That was the first time I ever dealt with the firing of a coach in the middle of the season,” DeRozan said. “It’s new for a lot of the guys who played for him for multiple years. It’s much different from my standpoint of still being new having to adjust to that. It’s hard to process it when you’re still going through it.”

No Recent Talks Between Nets, Kings About Cameron Johnson

January 22nd, 2025 at 5:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings are considered to be among the top suitors for Nets forward Cameron Johnson, but the teams haven’t engaged in trade talks for several weeks, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack column (subscription required).

A source tells Stein that Sacramento officials currently don’t see a way to complete a deal for Johnson before the February 6 trade deadline. The Kings are pursuing deals with other teams instead of focusing on Johnson, Stein adds.

A weekend report from Jake Fischer at the Stein Line confirmed that the Nets haven’t lowered their price for Johnson, as they continue to ask for two first-round picks and a young player. Earlier this month, Stein stated that Sacramento wasn’t willing to part with rookie guard Devin Carter, and it appears that stance hasn’t changed.

Fischer added that the Cavaliers have called about Johnson, but their interest seems to just be exploratory. He points out that Cleveland doesn’t have a first-round pick that it can trade until 2031, so it’s nearly impossible to meet Brooklyn’s demands.

Stein brings up the Pacers as another team to watch in the Johnson pursuit. However, Indiana has risen to fifth in the East after a recent hot streak, and Stein questions whether the front office would want to break up the current roster in light of its success.

It’s possible that the Nets will hang on to Johnson past the trade deadline and see if better offers arise this summer. He’s in the midst of a career-best season, averaging 19.4 points per game while shooting 49.1% from the field and 41.9% from beyond the arc.

Pacific Notes: Warriors, Curry, Green, Sabonis, Beal, Nurkic

January 21st, 2025 at 8:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors endured a 40-point beatdown at the hands of the Celtics on their home floor on Monday and they admit that the 2022 Finals, in which they defeated Boston, feels like ancient history, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes.

“Yeah, we have an entirely different roster pretty much, obviously,” Stephen Curry said. “Especially without Draymond [Green] out there (due to injury). But you look [at what] they have, besides [Kristaps] Porzingis, they have pretty much the whole rotation still, and they are the defending champs. So, they’re coming in with a level of confidence and swagger about ’em, and it’s the exact opposite of what we have right now. So yeah, obviously great memories, but definitely feels like a long time ago.”

“Seems like an eternity ago,” Warriors center Kevon Looney added. “We have had a lot of iterations of the team since then. Each season brings on a new challenge. That year seems further and further away. But hopefully, we can get back to that feeling of being a champion. But we got a long way to go.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Is it time for the Warriors to hit the reset button? Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo.com endorses that approach, saying they should look to deal Curry and Green while they still have a lot of value. O’Connor explores a number of trade possibilities involving Atlanta, Houston, Detroit, the Lakers and Orlando to demonstrate what the return could be for each player.
Domantas Sabonis has knocked down 48.4 percent of his 3-point attempts this season, far above his 34.9 percent career average. The Kings big man told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee that he has gradually developed his long-range game. “It’s something I’ve been working on ever since I started playing basketball,” Sabonis said. “Sometimes it doesn’t happen overnight. You’ve got to keep doing it one summer, another offseason, another offseason. You just hope at one point you’re going to break through, and so far this year it’s been going in, so I’ve just got to keep sticking with it and shooting with confidence.”
The Suns list Bradley Beal as questionable to play against the Nets on Wednesday due to a left ankle sprain (Twitter link). Beal returned to action on Monday at Cleveland after a two-game absence but contributed just five points and four assists in 25 minutes. Jusuf Nurkic, who last played on January 7, remains out due to “return to competition reconditioning.”

Community Shootaround: Western Conference Playoff Race

January 21st, 2025 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Of the 15 teams in the Western Conference, only two are clearly focused more on the 2025 draft lottery than the 2024/25 standings. The 10-31 Jazz and 14-28 Trail Blazers don’t have realistic postseason aspirations this season, with management prioritizing the development of young players and the possibility of landing another high draft pick.

Those two teams are sandwiching the 12-32 Pelicans, who definitely didn’t expect their season to play out like this. Plagued by injuries since top offseason acquisition Dejounte Murray broke his hand on opening night, New Orleans has won its past four games but likely dug too deep a hole in the first half to seriously vie for a play-in spot this season, even if the roster gets (and stays) fully healthy.

Still, that leaves 12 teams in the hunt for eight playoff spots in the Western Conference.

We can safely pencil in the Thunder for one of those spots — and it will almost certainly be the top one. At 35-7, Mark Daigneault‘s squad has a seven-game cushion on the next-best team in the conference.

The Rockets (28-14), Grizzlies (28-15) and Nuggets (26-16) round out the current top four in the West and appear well positioned to claim playoff berths. That’s not necessarily a lock, given how competitive the conference is — a single injury could be all it takes for one of those teams to fall back to the pack. But they’re in strong positions.

After the top four, things gets interesting. Here are the current Western Conference standings from five through 12:

Los Angeles Clippers (24-18)
Los Angeles Lakers (22-18)
Dallas Mavericks (23-20)
Sacramento Kings (22-20)
Minnesota Timberwolves (22-21)
Phoenix Suns (21-21)
Golden State Warriors (21-21)
San Antonio Spurs (19-22)

These eight teams are separated by a total of 4.5 games. The gap from No. 6 to 11 is just two games. A five-game winning streak or losing streak for any of these clubs could significantly change the perception of how their season is going.

To that point, as recently as January 4, the Kings were 12th in the conference at 16-19, while the Spurs were in eighth place at 18-16. A Sacramento hot streak and a San Antonio cold spell have resulted in those two clubs swapping places in the standings just seven games later.

The Spurs are probably a little ahead of schedule in their rebuild and didn’t necessarily expect to make the postseason this year, so if they continue to slump, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for them. But the rest of the clubs listed above had serious playoff aspirations this season. The Clippers, Lakers, Mavericks, Timberwolves, Suns, and Warriors are all spending into the tax on their rosters, and the Kings aren’t far off.

Barring a major collapse from one of the top four seeds, one of these clubs (or two, if San Antonio sticks around) will finish outside the top 10, missing out not just on the playoffs but on the play-in altogether. Two more will be eliminated in the play-in tournament and will fail to clinch one of the eight playoff spots in the West.

What happens at the trade deadline could go a long way toward determining how this race plays out down the stretch, but we want to know what you’re thinking at the halfway point of the season.

Which teams do you expect to finish outside of the top 10 in the West? Which teams will be eliminated in the play-in? Which clubs besides the Thunder are the most serious contenders to represent the conference in this year’s NBA Finals?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

Windhorst: Recent ‘Uptick’ In Jimmy Butler Trade Talks

January 21st, 2025 at 7:53am CST by Luke Adams

Jimmy Butler has appeared in two games for the Heat since his team-imposed seven-game suspension ended last week, but the front office hasn’t slowed its efforts to find a trade involving the disgruntled star. In fact, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggested on the latest episode of his Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link) that Miami has actually gotten more serious within the past few days about trying to get a deal done.

“Since Jimmy had his meeting with (team owner) Micky Arison on Thursday, there is no doubt an uptick in discussions around Jimmy Butler,” Windhorst said. “The Heat shifted into a new gear after that meeting.

“I even had a team on Friday call me and say… ‘Hey, we were just talking to a couple teams. We’re trying to dump a salary. And they all of the sudden had to end our phone calls to do something bigger, they said. What’s going on?’ And I go, ‘Well, I don’t know.’ But I speculate that it has to do with Butler. And not just a direct Butler trade, but three- and four-team trades. The point is, I do think the Heat are actually trying.”

The Heat still have over two weeks until the February 6 trade deadline to try to figure something out, and there’s reportedly no shortage of clubs expressing interest in potentially getting involved as facilitators in a three- or four-team scenario.

However, as has been well chronicled in recent weeks, moving Butler is a challenge due to his salary ($48.8MM), contract situation (he holds a $52.4MM player option for next season and reportedly wants an extension), and age (35). Many of the teams rumored to be most interested in the veteran forward, including the Suns, are most restricted in their ability to offer the sort of pieces Miami would want, including win-now players on short-term contracts.

Any Phoenix deal for Butler would almost certainly have to involve guard Bradley Beal, who has an even pricier cap hit than the Heat star and is under contract for two more seasons beyond this one, which isn’t appealing to Miami. That means the two sides would have to find a third team willing to take Beal, who in turn would have to sign off on the deal due to the no-trade clause in his contract.

According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Suns still haven’t asked Beal for his thoughts about any potential trade. A source familiar with Beal’s thinking confirms to Katz that the three-time All-Star would consider waiving the no-trade clause for the right situation, adding that winning would be his top priority in that scenario.

When Beal was traded from the Wizards to the Suns back in 2023, he was also open to the Heat, as well as West Coast teams like the Warriors, Kings, Lakers, and Clippers, says Katz, but none of those clubs appear to be likely suitors at this point.

Latest On Cameron Johnson

January 18th, 2025 at 1:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Confirming recent reporting from ESPN, Jake Fischer writes at The Stein Line (Substack link) that Brooklyn’s asking price for forward Cameron Johnson is indeed high and that the team doesn’t feel compelled to move him by February 6.

According to Fischer, in their conversations with certain teams about Johnson, the Nets have sought as many as two first-round picks to go along with a young player. It remains to be seen whether any team will meet that price. If not, the question will be whether Brooklyn ultimately decides to make an in-season deal for a slightly more modest return or opts to hang onto Johnson into the offseason.

Here are a few more updates from Fischer on one of the NBA’s top trade candidates:

Following up on a report from The Athletic identifying the Cavaliers as a team with interest in trading for Johnson, Fischer says that interest appears “preliminary at best.” While Fischer confirms that Cleveland inquired on Johnson, he’s not sure the Cavs have the assets to appeal to Brooklyn, since they can only trade one first-round pick and it wouldn’t convey until 2031. People around the league believe the Cavs are more likely to make a minor move that reduces their luxury tax bill, Fischer notes.
Fischer is prepared to cross the Thunder off of the list of suitors for Johnson after having reported himself last month that Oklahoma City was keeping an eye on the Nets sharpshooter. While there’s still some chatter around the league about the potential fit between Johnson and OKC, there has been no “credible evidence” that the Thunder have talked to Brooklyn about a deal, Fischer explains. Like the Cavaliers, the Thunder seem reluctant to make a significant move that shakes up their roster and risks disrupting their chemistry, given their success so far this season, Fischer adds.
The Pacers and Kings are among the teams to continue to watch as possible suitors for Johnson. One Western Conference executive who spoke to Fischer believes a Sacramento package of Kevin Huerter, Trey Lyles, and a first-round pick is viewed by some people around the league as the early benchmark to beat. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Nets would accept that offer if it’s the best one they have at the deadline, but it sounds like it might be the best one they have so far.