“The grass is greener on this side,” De’Aaron Fox told Andscape when reflecting on his transition from being the franchise star of the Sacramento Kings to a new member of the San Antonio Spurs.
Fox is averaging 23.9 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.6 rebounds on 48/39/84 shooting for the Spurs this season. His latest 22-point performance came when San Antonio handed the Oklahoma City Thunder just their second loss in 26 games.
Following that NBA Cup Semifinals victory, the ninth-year guard reflected on the past and present with Andscape‘s Mark Spears.
For De’Aaron Fox, the ‘grass is greener’ with the San Antonio #Spurs. Since trade from the #Sacramento #Kings, veteran guard hasn’t stopped smiling. Now, he’s helped the Spurs into the #NBACup championship game. https://t.co/Hgpreid9uK @andscape
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) December 15, 2025
With six full seasons in Sacramento, Fox had grown tired of his constantly changing head coach and surrounding talent. Feeling like they had something in Mike Brown — who now leads the New York Knicks, the Spurs’ opponents in the NBA Cup Finals — he didn’t understand why the front office was hesitant to extend the 2023 unanimous Coach of the Year, who had helped aid their drastic franchise turnaround.
Fox went so far as to tell the front office directly that, if he were going to play for another head coach, it would be with another organization. Well, Sacramento elected to fire Coach Brown after a five-game losing streak 31 games into their season.
“We go to the playoffs and after that you want to build upon that,” Fox said about his Kings tenure. “And that doesn’t mean going from the third seed to the first seed. It just means continuing to be a playoff team. I didn’t feel like we were there. …
“Everything started going bad that summer [in 2024]. I’m in a place where I want to be 1765866548.”
From there, the once-franchise point guard held to his word. He made it clear that he had no intention of extending with the Kings in the offseason, as his agency made it public that his preferred destination was San Antonio.
It didn’t take long before Fox was sent to the Spurs in a three-team deal in which Sacramento received Zach LaVine, two first-round picks, and five second-round selections. Kevin Huerter, Zach Collins, and Tre Jones were re-routed to Chicago in the deal.
Fox told Spears, “he doesn’t watch Kings games now, and there isn’t much of a connection because of all the changes made since he left.”
The only remaining players from his time in California’s capital, even a season ago, are Keon Ellis, Malik Monk, Domantas Sabonis, Devin Carter, Doug McDermott, and Keegan Murray, with whom he was particularly close.
“I don’t really have anything to say,” Fox said about the Kings. “It is what it is. I wish [Murray] the best. Whether that is rebuilding, I want him to be in the best situation for him. … The grass is greener on this side.”
Spears also reported that “sources told Anscape that there is a disconnect between some veteran Kings players and Christie and his coaching staff. Sacramento is expected to explore making trades of its veteran players, a source told Andscape.”
Having signed a five-year, $140-million extension with the Kings this offseason, Murray is expected to be around for the long haul. After that, it’s hard to guarantee any other player will be wearing royal purple in two years.
General manager Scott Perry is expected to have a busy couple of seasons ahead of him, including finding a franchise point guard to replace the one his new organization shipped off to Texas last season.
More Sacramento Kings coverage on Sactown Sports
The Sacramento Kings currently hold the third-worst record in the NBA, but will December 15th act as the start of trade season?
December 15th has been a date mentioned often during the opening months of the regular season, especially in recent weeks, as Sacramento’s nosedive continues.
As the Kings continue to struggle, trade chatter surrounding the team has grown louder, but there hasn’t been any traction in those rumors or reports. Maybe that’s about to change, though.
Here’s why December 15th may act as a green light for the Sacramento Kings’ trade talks.
Read More:
Why December 15th matters for the Sacramento Kings
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Thursday, December 18th – @ Portland Trail Blazers – 7:00 PM PT
Saturday, December 20th – vs. Portland Trail Blazers – 7:00 PM PT
Sunday, December 21st – vs. Houston Rockets – 7:00 PM PT
Tuesday, December 23rd vs. Detroit Pistons – 7:00 PM PT
Saturday, December 27th – vs. Dallas Mavericks – 2:00 PM PT
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