After years of meandering and lacking any sort of focus, it sounds like the Sacramento Kings have finally figured out a path forward and are following it.
And many Kings fans will be happy because that plan revolves around De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton.
The Sacramento Kings organization has a current mindset: They are not moving star guard De’Aaron Fox and want to center team around Fox and second-year guard Tyrese Haliburton, sources say.https://t.co/KVoRC7gdyF
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 19, 2022
This will be welcome news for many Kings faithful because both Fox and Haliburton have long been bright spots for Sacramento.
Yet, despite that, there was a time when it seemed like both of them could be traded to other teams for other NBA stars – that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.
What Fox Brings
Fox has only known the Kings and has played all five of his NBA seasons for the oft-struggling franchise.
During that time, he has averaged 18.6 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.5 rebounds.
He’s been doing tremendous work for the Kings this season as well, averaging 21 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists with a field goal percentage of 45.8.
It’s not uncommon to see Fox hit double-digits – in fact, he’s done so every game in January so far and has breached 20 points seven out of the ten games in 2022 and has broken 30 points three times as well.
There is no doubt that Fox is the sort of player a team should be built around – the same is true for Haliburton
Haliburton Helps
As for Haliburton, his stat line doesn’t look as exciting as Fox but he’s a very important part of the Kings’ lineup and can be a major part of its future.
In his two seasons with Sacramento, he has averaged 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.4 rebounds.
De’Aaron Fox went out on Covid protocols earlier this month.
Tyrese Haliburton since that point:
21.1 PPG
10.3 APG
50.5 FG%
47.5 3P%
91.3 FT% pic.twitter.com/QtGqspQiRr— StatMuse (@statmuse) December 30, 2021
Paired with Fox, Haliburton plays with energy, speed, and efficiency.
Despite that, there have long been rumors that he and Fox were on the chopping block for the Kings.
The Kings have long been wanting bigger names for their team and have been seemingly willing to trade just about anyone to get them.
That’s why Fox and Haliburton have been rumored trade chips again and again.
There was a while when the two players seemed untouchable and then there were reports that the Kings would prefer to keep both of them but neither were completely off the table.
However, it now sounds like these two are sticking around with the Kings for the foreseeable future.
Instead, the Kings have decided that these two are the center of the team and various other players around them are up for grabs.
The Kings are still hoping for a big All-Star to come to Sac Town, they are just hoping they can get one by trading players like Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, and Marvin Bagley III.
Package Potential
The three players listed above – Hield, Barnes, and Bagley – are all good in their own ways and could end up being very helpful when it comes to trades.
The Kings have more assets than they have had in a long time thanks to these three players.
That means that they really can build a team around Fox and Haliburton – they just need to trade one or all three of those other players.
This is surely the path ahead for Sacramento and it could finally give them a reliable, strong team that can stay consistent and promising for the next few seasons.
NEXT: 3 Reasons The Kings Are Thriving Without Luke Walton