De’Aaron Fox puts the Sacramento Kings on notice after he reportedly decided not to sign an extension this summer.
According to Anthony Slater and Sam Amick from The Athletic, who first reported this development on Monday, Fox has decided not to sign a new deal this year because he is simply biding his time.
“Fox’s future looms in the background too, as league sources say the All-Star guard has decided not to sign an extension this year, in part, because he wants to see how the roster takes shape for the long-haul. Fox, who has two seasons left on his current deal, wants to win at the highest level and could also qualify for a significantly larger max if he makes All-NBA,” Slater and Amick wrote.
Earlier this month, the Sacramento Kings gave head coach Mike Brown and Malik Monk new extensions. After last year’s surprising playoff run, Sacramento finished the 2023-24 campaign with a 46-36 record but was eliminated in the play-in tournament.
De’Aaron Fox is betting on himself with the Sacramento Kings
De’Aaron Fox has been the Sacramento Kings’ franchise player since he was drafted with the fifth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. He is coming off a robust 2023-24 season, averaging a career-high 26.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and a league-leading 2.0 steals per game in 74 regular-season games.
The Kentucky product made it to the NBA All-Star Team and All-NBA Third Team in 2023 and was the league’s steals leader this year.
The 26-year-old guard still has two years and $72 million remaining on his five-year, $163 million rookie scale deal he signed in 2020. Fox was eligible for a three-year, $167 million extension this offseason.
If he made it to an All-NBA team this season, De’Aaron Fox would’ve qualified for a four-year, $269 million extension, similar to Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns’ s contracts.
