According to comprehensive reports, the Kings may trade their starting point guard De'Aaron Fox, but they may need to wait a bit longer and send him away before the trading deadline this season. Now may not be the right time. Although the Rockets' management and coaching staff have not clearly stated that they want to go all out to pursue Fox, according to some reports, the Rockets are indeed interested in Fox.
Moreover, NBA famous reporter Eric Pincus also said that the Rockets have the chips that the Kings want, and they will also be one of the most ideal destinations for Fox. In fact, it is also reported that the two newcomers of the Rockets, Whitmore and Reed Shepard, have been favored by the Kings. The Kings admire Shepard very much. Although Shepard did not have many opportunities in the Rockets this season, his playing time was relatively short, and he has often been benched recently, and his personal data is very ordinary, and he did not perform as a No. 3 pick. However, Shepard is only 20 years old, and he is also a shooter with great basketball talent and basketball IQ.
This season, Shepard played 29 games for the Rockets, averaging 3.4 points, 1.2 assists, and 1.3 rebounds. His shooting percentages are not good, but in the end, it is still the Rockets who did not give Shepard the opportunity to swing freely. When the Rockets were tanking before, whether it was Jalen Green or Shen Jing, they had such unlimited firing rights, but now Whitmore and Shepard do not have such opportunities. They are used as immediate combat power, and once they perform poorly, they will be benched.
Just like Whitmore, who performed poorly in a few games at the beginning of the season, Udoka directly abandoned him and demoted him to the development league, which is the best example. Therefore, the Kings have taken a fancy to Shepard and Whitmore, treating these two newcomers as treasures. It can be seen that the management of the Kings has also seen the strength, talent, and potential of these two newcomers from the outside line of the Rockets. The Rockets are unwilling to rely on the two, but the Kings are very optimistic about the two players.
If the Rockets want to get Fox, according to the analysis, these two players should become one of the chips that the Kings ask the Rockets for. So it's still that sentence, the current Rockets don't have time to cultivate a young player anymore. It's really not the right time for Shepard to join the Rockets. If Shepard could come when the Rockets were tanking before, he would definitely be able to brush out beautiful statistics. But now, the head coach of the Houston Rockets, Udoka, always has a winning plan. They not only want to enter the playoffs this season but even want to go further in the playoffs.
Therefore, once Whitmore and Shepard perform even a little poorly, they may lose the opportunity to stand firm in the rotation lineup of the Rockets. Udoka's winning plan delays two newcomers. However, if you go to the Kings who are planning to rebuild, the two newcomers are estimated to have more ball rights and shooting opportunities, and their talents will also be quickly developed. Therefore, if two players are traded for Fox, it will be a win-win deal, at least theoretically speaking, it is indeed so.