PHILADELPHIA — The Kings have long been linked as a potential trade partner for Ben Simmons and in most estimations, it would take De’Aaron Fox heading to Philadelphia to complete a deal.
The Sixers are looking for an All-Star in return for Simmons and it’s not clear whether Fox, who has the potential to be that but hasn’t yet made an All-Star game appearance, would be enough as a centerpiece for Daryl Morey to consider such a trade.
However, it’s looking like Sacramento isn’t sold on making that kind of deal either. Fox is content with the Kings, a source tells Paulo Uggetti of The Ringer, and having a top player who wants to stick around in a small market might be too valuable for Sacramento to just trade away.
Fox is under contract with the Kings through the 2025-26 season, having signed a five-year, $163 million extension back in 2020.
Simmons, who is in the midst of a five-year, $177 million deal, is under contract through the 2024-25 season, so it’s not like the Kings would risk trading for the former No. 1 overall pick and having him depart in free agency right away; it’s just having a star being happy in the market they are in obviously goes a long way toward a franchise achieving their goals. Sacramento doesn’t want to be in the same situation that Philadelphia is currently in over the next few years.
Given that Simmons likely has a higher ceiling than Fox and Fox is reportedly a happy star in Sacramento, the Simmons-to-the-Kings scenario is looking like it’s simply not going to work…for now, at least.
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