C.J. Holmes: Nets should be in no rush to acquire Kings star De’Aaron Fox

NEW YORK — Could De’Aaron Fox reunite with Jordi Fernandez in Brooklyn?

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Tuesday that the Sacramento Kings could potentially trade the All-Star guard ahead of the NBA’s Feb. 6 trade deadline. The 27-year-old has spent the first eight years of his career in Sacramento and has averaged 25.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.2 assists across 43 games this season.

If traded, the San Antonio Spurs are widely considered Fox’s preferred destination, but there will certainly be other suitors around the league lining up to acquire him, and the Nets have enough assets to get a deal done. He’s scheduled to hit free agency following the 2025-26 season, so the first priority of whatever team gets him will be to sign him to a long-term deal. Brooklyn is projected to have plenty of cap space this offseason as well.

Fernandez served as the Kings’ associate head coach under former head coach Mike Brown from 2022-24, so he’s had a working relationship with Fox for a while now. However, even though the Nets have the assets and cap space to accommodate a talent such as Fox right now, rushing a deal ahead of the trade deadline may not be in the team’s best interest.

The Nets have the fifth-worst record in the NBA at 14-33 entering Wednesday’s road game against the Charlotte Hornets. As losers of seven straight games, they’ve put a lot of effort into their tank and are just a few percentage points away from having the best odds at landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

Fox is definitely a floor-raiser, and landing a player of his caliber will hurt the franchise’s ultimate goal of drafting a top talent this summer. Brooklyn will have four first-round selections on June 25, and it doesn’t make much sense to acquire a star until it knows where the chips fall and how those new players fit into Fernandez’s system.

The Kings will want future assets, young talent, or both, in exchange for Fox. The Nets aren’t built to win now, and they have a rare chance to rebuild their team organically, so why would they sacrifice progress? Brooklyn has 15 first-round picks over the next seven years. Blowing them in Year 1 of a rebuild, for Fox, isn’t a smart move — especially with no guarantee that he will re-sign.

If Fox is still available this summer, perhaps the Nets should revisit the idea. Right now, the franchise needs to stay the course and see how the 2025 draft plays out instead of rushing into a decision. Fox is worthy of consideration, but there could be larger fish in the sea ready to get reeled in.