Kings point guard De'Aaron Fox still has two years remaining on his contract, but that doesn't mean the Sacramento star isn't already thinking about his future.
Fox decided not to sign a contract extension with the Kings this year, partly because the NBA All-Star "wants to see how the roster takes shape for the long haul," The Athletic's Anthony Slater and Sam Amick reported Monday, citing league sources.
The Kings secured a huge piece of their roster for the foreseeable future after reportedly agreeing to bring back sixth man Malik Monk on a four-year, $78 million contract. And, per Slater and Amick, Sacramento recently offered its No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft to the Chicago Bulls for guard Alex Caruso, meaning an offseason splash very well could be on the way.
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Fox last Wednesday said he's grateful to have some "stability" on the coaching staff, too, after Mike Brown and the Kings reportedly agreed on a three-year, $30 million contract extension.
"We always talk about having that type of stability. It's not saying you want to become stagnant or anything like that, but just knowing that you're going to have kind of a core and then a coach -- obviously in this league, [ex-Detroit Pistons coach] Monty Williams just got fired today, so it could always change in the blink of an eye.
"You never know. But just to feel like you have that stability going forward is definitely great and you look to build off of that."
In November 2020, Fox signed a five-year, $163 million contract extension with the Kings that should keep him in Sacramento through the 2025-26 NBA season. From 2020-21 to 2023-24, Fox has averaged 25.8 points, 5.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds, making his first All-Star team and All-NBA Third Team in 2022-23.
NBA
As Slater and Amick noted in their reporting, Fox could qualify for a significantly larger max extension if he makes the All-NBA team next season. There still remains plenty to be done this offseason if Sacramento wants to return to the NBA playoffs and chase a championship, as Fox reportedly is considering before committing to the 916 for the long term.