Rockets not seen as De’Aaron Fox destination

Rockets not seen as De’Aaron Fox destination

Time is running out for De’Aaron Fox to Light the Beam with the Sacramento Kings.

It was reported by ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania Tuesday that the middling organization in a loaded Western Conference is now picking up the phone for their All-Star point guard over one week before the Feb. 6 trade deadline. While it is widely speculated that the San Antonio Spurs are his top destination, the Kings are reportedly opening up talks to all of teams interested.

However, one of those teams that will not engage for Fox is the Houston Rockets, according to Rockets insider Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

“Through conversations with Kings officials in recent weeks, Houston Rockets officials were aware of the increasing likelihood of a potential De’Aaron Fox trade away from Sacramento, especially as the prospect of the 27-year-old guard signing a long-term extension with the Kings became less and less plausible,” Iko wrote Tuesday. “But according to team sources, Houston’s stance — keeping its 31-14 roster intact — has not changed, even if Fox is indeed available.

“The Rockets front office is pleased with the growth of its young roster and intend to ride the team’s current momentum into the postseason. Any potential blockbuster move — or at least serious internal conversations about one — would be better positioned for the offseason, those sources say. If the Rockets were to do any business between now and the Feb. 6 trade deadline, team sources say it would only be a marginal move that wouldn’t upset the current rotation.”

The Rockets, currently positioned as the second-best team in the West at 32-14, five games back of the Oklahoma City Thunder, were aggressive in the summer of 2023, adding Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks while replacing Stephen Silas with Ime Udoka. They followed suit by adding Steven Adams ahead of the 2023-24 trade deadline, but have been relatively quiet since outside of drafting Reed Sheppard No. 3 overall.

General manager Rafael Stone said in mid-December that the team would listen to trades while the pursuit may be minimal, which appears to be their approach here.

They have the assets needed to acquire Fox, but they may have their lead guard of the future lined up with Amen Thompson–a budding star. Unless Sacramento was enamored with Jalen Green, Cam Whitmore, Sheppard or the currently-injured Jabari Smith Jr., it would be difficult to piece together a deal.

Similar to how they were viewed heading into last offseason, they feel like a team that’s ready to make a splash during the summer. They are a very young team so a deep postseason run isn’t in the cards. But Houston feels like a team that’s willing to assess and consolidate once it sees how its season ends in its second full year together as a group.

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