New Year, New Outlook: The Kings are Different, Without the Best Coach Mike Brown at the Helm, they艰难战胜残阵独行侠，终结了自己的六连败，本以为这场胜利将会成为他们吹响反击的号角，不曾想，球队的内部率先扛不住了。As the most direct beneficiary of Brown's dismissal, Fox also fell into social media, helplessly stating that he was unaware of the management's decision to fire the head coach, but still did not receive more sympathy from fans. It was after this scene of "no silver three hundred taels" was made public that the Kings also realized the reality of the team.
Regardless of how the team performs in the future or what kind of indescribable games they play, Fox's mind will not stay in Sacramento Kings. From the moment he rejected a 3-year $165 million early renewal, he and his agent team have been planning for a long time. For this All-Star-level guard, many teams have pursued him on trade day, with the Lakers, Spurs, and Rockets becoming the main potential suitors. However, Pelinka does not have any attractive target players for the Kings, and the three future first-round picks are simply outmatched compared to the other two teams.
Although the Spurs are interested in pursuing Fox, their current task is not to make a playoff push, but to continue training Wenyibanya and finding role players suitable for him. Currently, the rest of the 14 players in the team are capable of fighting, and if they want to show offensive aggression, they cannot rely solely on Fox. More draft picks may have other intentions. After a simple analysis and comparison, the Houston Rockets have the best chance of winning. First of all, so far this season, he and the Memphis Grizzlies have carried the "brand" of the Southwest Division, firmly ranking in the top three in the West, with a much higher probability of making the playoffs than the Kings; secondly, general manager Stone holds multiple high-quality rookies and first-round picks, which can meet the rebuilding needs of the Kings; finally, Tate, Jeff Green and other expiring contracts need to be dealt with.
Based on these three points, an initial trade framework has been formed. According to Eric Pincus, the salary expert of Open-air Stand, Fox may push for a trade before the trade deadline on February 6th. The Rockets only need to send Reed-Shepherd, Cameron Whitmore, Jeff Green, Jaisen Tate, Jock Landale, the 2027 first-round swap right, the 2028 first-round pick, the 2030 first-round pick, the 2031 first-round swap right, the 9.2milliontradeexceptioncreatedbyFox,andthe2.1 million trade exception created by McDermott to get Aaron Fox, Trey Lyles, and Doug McDermott.
This 11-for-3 trade, without saying whether it can be completed, it is not difficult to see from the text that the Rockets are robbing. Using a group of bench players who can't make the team, they integrate and package them to get three immediate combat players. Such a king is simply giving welfare, but in fact, the king's management is hiding its intentions. They previously sent away Hield and Haliburton, two backcourt tough guys, in order to support Fox. Now that the cornerstone player is about to leave, relying on Keegan Murray to revitalize the team is still a bit difficult. They set their sights on the third-year rookie Whitmore and the No. 3 pick in the 24th draft, Sheppard.
Although these two players have been struggling to find their form under the leadership of Rockets head coach Udoka, Stone is unwilling to give up on potential stocks. The Kings are confident that they can become cornerstone players in the future, and they are not stingy with their affection for Sheppard. This trade will undoubtedly create a win-win situation. The backcourt of Fox and Jaylen Green will shine in the playoffs, while the Kings can solve internal conflicts within the team while opening the door to rebuilding and developing subsequent training plans around young players.
