De'Aaron Fox Trade Rumors: Lakers, Heat Linked amid Rockets, Spurs Buzz at Deadline

Several teams are reportedly emerging as potential contenders to acquire one-time All-Star guard De'Aaron Fox should the Sacramento Kings decide to trade him.

Speaking Friday on Brian Windhorst and the Hoop Collective (beginning at the 44:30 mark), ESPN's Tim MacMahon named the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat as potential landing spots for Fox:

"If he does ask out, San Antonio and Houston—keep an eye on those two. I've heard Lakers, but it's hard for me to tell how much of that is just people jumping to conclusions because he's a Klutch client. And then I've heard Miami with the Bam [Adebayo] connection there."

Fox signed a five-year, $163 million contract extension with the Kings in 2020, but he is currently in line to become a free agent at the conclusion of the 2025-26 campaign.

Back in October, Fox told Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic that he would "love to be here for my entire career" in reference to Sacramento, but he added some qualifiers.

Fox noted that before signing another extension, he wants to "make sure that we're in that position to be competing and competing at a high level for a long time, not just fighting for a playoff spot."

The Kings haven't necessarily inspired confidence with their performance so far this season, as their 13-18 record is only good for 12th place in the Western Conference.

Entering the 2024-25 season, the Kings had reached the playoffs only once in the past 18 seasons, so it is fair to wonder if Fox would be willing to commit to the franchise for several more years.

The 27-year-old star has been among the Kings' bright spots this season, averaging 26.2 points, 6.1 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 2.1 three-pointers made and 1.6 steals per game, while shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 33.2 percent from beyond the arc.

If Fox doesn't sign an extension by next offseason, the Kings may have no realistic choice other than to trade him so that they don't risk losing him for nothing in free agency.

The Rockets and Spurs are both up-and-coming teams who would benefit greatly from Fox's arrival.

Houston is already the No. 2 team in the Western Conference with a record of 21-9 thanks largely to the play of rising stars such as Alperen Şengün and Jalen Green.

The Rockets have a ton of draft capital thanks to some of the trades they made during their rebuild, giving them perhaps more ammo than anyone to make a move for Fox.

San Antonio is in a similar boat, and although it isn't as far along as Houston, it has shown significant signs of improvement this season with a 15-15 mark.

The Spurs already have a dominant interior force in second-year man Victor Wembanyama, which could make Fox the ideal complement.

The Lakers and Heat are on the other end of the spectrum in that they are veteran-laden teams looking to maintain their status as contenders.

Miami is just two seasons removed from reaching the NBA Finals, while L.A. made the Western Conference Finals that same year.

So far this season, the Heat are sixth in the Eastern Conference at 15-13, but they don't feel like legitimate contenders ahead of teams like the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks.

Similar things can be said for the Lakers, who are sixth in the Western Conference at 17-13.

In Miami, Fox could join forces with his friends and former University of Kentucky teammate in Bam Adebayo, although there are some question marks surrounding how the roster will look in the near future since veteran Jimmy Butler wants to be moved before the trade deadline, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

As for the Lakers, their core of LeBron James and Anthony Davis may not have much time left to vie for a championship with James set to turn 40 on Monday.

Fox would give them the third star they have been looking for, though, and perhaps give LeBron the best possible chance to win a fifth championship before retirement.