De’Aaron Fox ‘Never’ Requested Trade From Kings, Knew His Time Was Over After Mike Brown Was Fired

During an interview with NBA reporter Michael C. Wright of ESPN, De’Aaron Fox said he never requested a trade from the Sacramento Kings. 

However, Fox knew his time with the Kings was over after Mike Brown was fired. 

“I was like, ‘Yo, I’ve been here for going on my eighth year. If Mike gets fired, I’ll be going on my fifth coach,'” Fox told ESPN. “And I told them, ‘I’m not going to play for another coach. I’m going to play for another team.'”

The Kings wound up trading Fox to the San Antonio Spurs. 

“There was no f—ing list,” Fox said. “There was one team. I wanted to go to San Antonio. So, a lot of people are mad at me, saying I handcuffed the team by giving them a destination. Well, this is my career. If anybody else is in my position, you’d do the same thing. It’s not my job to help build your team. I’m not about to just go where they want me to go. I wanted to have a destination.”

Fox is one of the best point guards in the NBA. He’s averaging 23.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists this season in 58 games with the Kings and Spurs. 

A one-time All-Star, Fox wasn’t happy the Kings didn’t do a media press conference after Brown was fired. 

“You fire the coach, and you don’t do an interview?” Fox said. “So, all the blame was on me. Did it weigh on me? No. I don’t give a f—. But the fact y’all are supposed to be protecting your player and y’all let that happen. … I felt at the time the organization didn’t have my back.

“The energy shifted and what’s understood doesn’t need to be explained. If I finished my contract there, then they knew what was going to happen next and it was because y’all fired another coach. That’s why I said in the interview after Mike was fired and we were in L.A. [on Dec. 28], they knew where I stood and there was nothing more to be said.”

Fox is making $34,848,340 this season. He’ll make $37,096,620 next season in the final year of his contract.