KEY POINTS

  • The Kings may be considering to trade De'Aaron Fox by the trade deadline in February
  • Fox has more value thanks to his playmaking abilities, but Buddy Hield's three-point shooting may entice other teams to trade for him
  • Going after the Pacers' Myles Turner might prove to be the right move for the Kings' chances at a playoff appearance

The Sacramento Kings are looking for an answer to their woes on the court, and the answer may lie in trading De’Aaron Fox for a big-name player ahead of the trade deadline.

That is according to a recent report from Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer who hypothesized that general manager Steve McNair selecting guards Tyrese Haliburton and Davion Mitchell in back-to-back drafts may be a sign of willingness to move on from Fox.

After all, McNair was already in-charge when he gave Fox a maximum extension in November 2020 and it is very unlikely that the Kings keep all three guards on the roster moving forward.

Of the potential trade pieces, Fox and Buddy Hield have capabilities that will interest potentially contending players.

Hield is a perennially good shooter from deep with a career average of 40.2 percent, which makes him an interesting piece for teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers can consider making a move for.

Fox is currently averaging 20.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.3 steals in 35 minutes across the past 24 games.

His value will depend on whether he can reach the heights that he did last season when he went for 25.2 points a game on 47.7 percent field goal shooting.

Currently, the Kings are 11th in the Western Conference, just half a game behind the 10th-seeded Portland Trail Blazers.

If the Kings are truly keen on ending their long playoff drought, now could be the time for them to strike by sending either Fox or Hield to another team.

Shams Charania and Bob Kravitz of The Athletic put out a piece regarding the Indiana Pacers considering selling their biggest pieces in the forms of Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis and Cars LeVert to launch a soft rebuild of the team.

Dangling an offensive-minded Fox for the shot-blocking big man in Turner makes sense as they give up a bit of offense in favor of a big boost to their defense.

Subscription-based stats website Cleaning the Glass pegs the Kings at 25th when it comes to points allowed per 100 possessions, letting opponents score 111.9 points per contest.

The 25-year-old Turner will surely shore up the defense.

Trading for Turner will most likely include Marvin Bagley III, which opens up space in the power forward position, allowing Richaun Holmes to stay at center.

The Kings offense will work its way out of its funk as they have Haliburton and Fox to distribute the ball, but the former may find himself as the main man in Sacramento once the latter is gone.

Kings fans have long been waiting for the taste of postseason magic, and they could crash the play-in tournament by the time the regular season is all said and done once they make a big trade.

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