De’Aaron Fox reveals the real reason he turned down Kings extension

The Sacramento Kings tried to give star point guard De’Aaron Fox a three-year, $165 million contract extension, but the 26-year-old from Kentucky rejected the offer.

Rather than take the money now, Fox is betting on himself to get a supermax contract extension next offseason, which could reach a projected $345 million over four years if he makes an All-NBA team this season.

Fox spoke to The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Anthony Slater about your decision:

“For one, I’m in no rush.” Fox continued, “For two, I just want to make sure where we’re at, because people have seen the league, like, a team’s turnover can happen in a matter of a month or two or six months. I mean , if we were fighting for a championship, (it might be different) … For me, obviously, we’re still building.”

Of course, regardless of the amount of money available, most NBA players want to be able to compete for a championship. As Fox enters his prime, it makes sense for him to make sure Sacramento is the right place to stay competitive.

While Fox’s words may worry some Kings fans, he says he wants to be in Sacramento and spend his entire career here:

“I would love to be here for my entire career, to be on a team, to be in one city, for my entire career,” Fox continued. “It’s not unheard of, but it doesn’t happen a lot, so to be in that category would definitely be great.

“But I want to make sure we’re in that position to be competing and competing at a high level for a long time, not just fighting for a playoff spot. Obviously, the way the West is going, we have to continue to improve as players and as a team, as an organization And I’m not saying I won’t stay or that I’ll stay, but I’d like to be here, and I want to make sure we’re competing at a high level.”

Fox has a major, career-altering decision to make regarding his contract, and it makes perfect sense for the star guard to wait until next offseason to sign a potential extension.

Fox makes it clear that he wants to remain a King, and of course the Sacramento front office would love to keep him as long as possible. But, it puts a lot of pressure on the organization to prove to Fox that they can be competitive in a tough Western Conference.

If the Kings miss the playoffs again this season and show little upside for more to come, then Fox may have a bigger decision to make regarding his future. The star point guard wants to be king, but he also wants to win.

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