Report: Fox bypassing three-year, $165M Kings contract extension originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Kings superstar De’Aaron Fox is eligible for a hefty contract extension, but don’t expect the All-NBA guard to sign any time soon.
Fox is forgoing a three-year, $165 million maximum contract extension this year in pursuit of landing a more lucrative deal in the 2025 NBA offseason, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Monday, citing sources.
Fox also reportedly decided not to sign a contract extension with Sacramento during the 2024 offseason because he first wanted to see how Sacramento’s roster would be positioned for sustained success.
The Kings delivered some of the long-term stability Fox is seeking by securing coach Mike Brown’s services with a three-year, $30 million contract extension.
“We always talk about having that type of stability,” Fox said in June. “It’s not saying you want to become stagnant or anything like that, but just knowing that you’re going to have kind of a core and then a coach — obviously in this league, [ex-Detroit Pistons coach] Monty Williams just got fired today, so it could always change in the blink of an eye.
“You never know. But just to feel like you have that stability going forward is definitely great and you look to build off of that.”
Since being selected No. 5 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, Fox has been a franchise cornerstone, helping turn Sacramento into a Western Conference contender while snapping an 16-year playoff drought.
In November 2020, Fox signed a five-year, $163 million contract extension with the Kings that ties him to Sacramento through the 2025-26 NBA season. From 2020-21 to 2023-24, Fox has averaged 25.8 points, 5.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds, earning All-NBA Third Team honors in 2022-23.
Despite entering his eighth NBA season, Fox is just 26 years old, giving the Kings an opportunity to potentially continue building around a star through the prime of their career.
Whether or not Sacramento is able to ink Fox to another contract extension remains to be seen, with a resolution not likely until next Summer at the earliest.