San Antonio Spurs star point guard De’Aaron Fox spent his first seven-plus seasons in the NBA with the Sacramento Kings.
His time with the Pacific Division franchise ended ahead of the 2025 NBA trade deadline, as the Kings decided to send him to the Spurs via a three-team deal that also involved the Chicago Bulls. In return, Sacramento got a package that mainly featured star shooting guard Zach LaVine of the Bulls.
Although Fox said that he “never asked for a trade,” (h/t Michael C. Wright of ESPN), it appears that his trust in the stability of the franchise’s future further weakened when the Kings fired head coach Mike Brown in December. Fox also implied that some of his Kings teammates didn’t like Brown and even wanted Sacramento to let go of the coach before the 2024-25 NBA regular season. However, Fox did not reveal any names.
“During Mike’s extension talks, some guys in the locker room didn’t want Mike,” Fox said. “Some guys wanted him to be fired during the summer. … But I’m not going to say [who].”
In any case, Fox and Brown are no longer with the Kings, with the former continuing his career with the Spurs. In 514 games with the Kings, Fox averaged 21.5 points, 6.1 assists and 3.9 boards while shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from behind the arc.
San Antonio Spurs fall to Kings in De’Aaron Fox’s first game in Sacramento since trade
Fox and the Spurs fell prey to his former team on Friday night at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, 127-109. The Kentucky Wildcats product didn’t have an especially great performance in his return to his former stomping grounds, as he was outplayed by LaVine. Fox had 16 points on 6-for-17 shooting from the field with eight assists and four rebounds, while LaVine had 36 points on a 14-for-22 shooting from the floor.
The 26-35 Spurs will look to get back on track on Sunday in the Twin Cities versus the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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