The Miami Heat are among the few teams named as a potential landing spot for Sacramento Kings All-NBA point guard De’Aaron Fox if he asks out, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
“If he does ask out, San Antonio and Houston—keep an eye on those two. I’ve heard Lakers, but it’s hard for me to tell how much of that is just people jumping to conclusions because he’s a Klutch client. And then I’ve heard Miami with the Bam [Adebayo] connection there,” MacMahon said on the “Hoop Collective” podcast on December 27.
Fox and Adebayo were teammates at Kentucky in the 2016-17 season. Fox’s current teammate Malik Monk was also on that Kentucky team that reached the Elite Eight.
Fox, who made it to the All-NBA Third Team and the Clutch Player of the Year last season, is on the fourth year of a five-year, $163 million deal with the Kings. Next summer, Fox will be eligible for a four-year, $229 million extension.
But his future in Sacramento has been clouded with uncertainty after his agent, Rich Paul, met with Sacramento Kings general manager Monte McNair and assistant general manager Wes Wilcox last week, per Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
“The discussion, league and team sources said, was focused on an existential question that needs to be answered if this partnership that began eight seasons ago between Fox and the Kings is going to continue long term,” Amick and Slater wrote.
Fox declined the Kings’ three-year, $165 million extension offer in the offseason. It was a move not only to position himself for a more lucrative payday after this season but also to see if the Kings can truly help him contend for championships.
Pat Riley is Not Trading Jimmy Butler
Heat president Pat Riley has stood pat.
Riley unequivocally ended the Jimmy Butler trade rumors with a strong statement on December 26 as the 14-13 Heat sat in sixth place in the Eastern Conference after Christmas.
“We usually don’t comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches. Therefore, we will make it clear – We are not trading Jimmy Butler,” Riley wrote in a statement on December 26.
Riley’s definitive statement quelled the Butler trade rumors, which dominated the past two weeks.
On Christmas, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Butler “prefers a trade out of Miami ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline.”
Charania doubled down on his latest report on the developing situation in Miami involving Butler on the “NBA Countdown,” citing things began to unravel in the offseason when the Heat did not offer their franchise a star contract extension.
If Fox becomes available, will Riley change his stance considering they were one year removed from their failed pursuit of Damian Lillard. Fox is seven years younger than Lillard and has already a built-in chemistry with Adebayo.
They could theoretically trade Butler for Fox or to another team for draft capital to pursue Fox down the road.
Heat Interested in Grizzlies Underutilized Wing
The Heat are interested in Memphis Grizzlies‘ underutilized wing John Konchar, according to NBA insider Marc Stein, amid tension between them and Butler.
“The Nets, league sources say, are likewise interested in Memphis’ John Konchar, who has also attracted interest from Orlando and Miami and is emerging as a name that must be monitored as the Feb. 6 trade deadline approaches,” Stein wrote on “The Stein Line” on December 26. “Konchar is in Year 1 of a three-year, $18.5 million contract with Memphis and is perceived as available.”
Konchar plays the same position as Butler and is seven years younger. The Grizzlies wing is also way cheaper than Butler, who is seeking a $110 million, two-year extension that will run through until he’s 37.
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