As the Sacramento Kings are having another poor season, their players are up on the trading block. Guys like Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes Marvin Bagley, and Tristan Thompson have been in rumors all season. Now, they are joined by De'Aaron Fox, whose name has frequently come up in trade rumors surrounding Ben Simmons
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, the Sixers and Kings have discussed the possibility of a Simmons-Fox swap. However, with the Sixers garnering little momentum toward a Simmons trade and Sacramento's glut of young talent in backcourt, there are other teams across the league that will come calling on Fox before the February 10th trade deadline. Here are the two best trade destinations for De'Aaron Fox.
Best De'Aaron Fox trade destinations
This trade destination makes the most sense for many reasons. The Sixers have been trying to trade Simmons for a very long time, and a straight swap for De'Aaron Fox makes a lot of sense. They are different in stature, as Fox is a smaller guard and worse defensively but an absolute blur in the open floor, while Simmons is a stable point-forward who's a great defender and passer but cannot shoot outside the paint. They both have strengths and weaknesses, but this deal would make a ton of sense for the Kings.
The Kings do this trade simply because their squad has reached their pinnacle with Fox. They cannot do more than a solid fight for the play-in tournament with the speedy guard, so they need a new player at the helm. Despite all the criticism sent his way, Simmons is still a great floor general. With all due respect to the Kings guard, he is not on Simmons' level of facilitation and passing. Thus, the Kings would be able to find a new dimension to their game with Simmons running show. That is not to say that Fox is a bad player, but his fit with the Kings does not seem to be working.
From the side of the Sixers, they'd do any deal with Fox and Simmons involved to finally rid themselves of the Simmons drama. Regardless of that being the first reason, getting the Kings guard will open up new possibilities for the Sixers. Fox is averaging 21.0 points per game this season on 45.6% shooting from the field. His fit with the Sixers really depends on how he would work with Joel Embiid, but as Embiid can stretch the floor, he could be a threat on the perimeter while opening up the lane for Fox.
The Kings do not have a lot of leverage in any trade talks due to the dysfunctionality of their own organization. However, due to the drama in Philly, they could probably get an All-Star guard in Ben Simmons for the price of De'Aaron Fox.
This trade would probably be harder to sell. The Mavs have an elite primary ball-handler in Luka Doncic., and it's very questionable whether De'Aaron Fox would be able to play without the ball. Also, it is doubtful the Kings would consider Kristaps Porzingis enough of a return for Fox. However, there is a valiant case to be made for both teams to get involved with this trade.
Firstly, for the Kings, it makes sense from the standpoint of getting some talent in their frontcourt. They have four great guards in Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Davion Mitchell and Buddy Hield, but their frontcourt is lacking. Marvin Bagley is out of the rotation, while Tristan Thompson has been in trade discussions and made some comments that probably did not sit well with the Kings. With Porzingis, the Kings could add some great offensive talent to their frontline. They would still have a great backcourt rotation after moving Fox to Dallas, plus two good offensive options on the wings and mid-post with Porzingis and Harrison Barnes.
For the Mavs, this trade would be done to relieve Doncic of some ball-handling duties. Right now, the Mavs do not have a lot of point guard options and the Kings guard could help them get better right away. Without being asked to facilitate the play every time down the court, Doncic could concentrate on getting into better attacking positions and finding his way back into the best possible form. It's easy to forget that Porzingis didn't seem long for Dallas before this season, too. A new home in Sacramento could ultimately be what's best for both he and the Mavericks.
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