It’s tough because looking at the landscape before I came here those were the guys I talked to, Fox, Domantas, and Malik,” DeRozan said. “Those are the core guys that made it easy for me to make

Dec 30, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) dribbles against the Dallas Mavericks during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The six-time All-Star addressed the situation on FanDuel’s “Run It Back” podcast as trade talks swirl in Sacramento.

The Sacramento Kings have gotten much better since Doug Christie took the reins of the team. While Mike Brown had done a great job for the most part, the results on the court have shown that the team needed a bit of a shakeup.

With the trade deadline looming, De'Aaron Fox could be back on the trading block after a season of speculation.

The "Light the Beam" era of the Sacramento Kings is rapidly devolving into yet another dark time for the forlorn franchise. De'Aaron Fox's refusal to sign a contract extension has forced the Kings to recoup whatever value they can retain on the trade market before the Feb.

Though the Kings star is making his future intentions clear, he's doing so while giving Sacramento a chance to fully evaluate the market.

Fox is the new name on the market after sending signals he doesn't want to commit long term to the Kings. Meanwhile, Butler remains suspended as the Heat decide his future.

“In this business, you have to put those emotions aside,” Fox said. “Obviously, everybody especially who were here during that long (postseason drought), and who was on this team when we made the playoffs, obviously that means a lot to everybody.

Regardless of whether the Sacramento Kings move De'Aaron Fox by the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline, they need to recognize this as an organizational pivot point.

The Kings’ first game since the news came to light didn’t make matters any better, either. A bad 117-104 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers put them at 1-3 on their current six-game road trip with the Western Conference’s first-place Oklahoma City Thunder and the heating-up Minnesota Timberwolves still ahead.