NBA Agent Rich Paul Reveals De'Aaron Fox's Initial Plan With Kings

The Sacramento Kings traded De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs, but there was once a time when he never wanted to leave.

Mar 7, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox (4) looks on during the first quarter of the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings made one of their biggest trades in franchise history about 11 months ago when they sent De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs and brought in Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls. That entire situation was a disaster for the Kings and their passionate fanbase, as their franchise point guard practically forced his way out of Sacramento.

However, Fox did not always see himself leaving the Kings. Fox's agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, recently said on the Game Over podcast that when he first signed the star point guard, he never wanted to leave Sacramento.

"He never wanted to leave [the Kings]," Paul said about Fox. "When I first signed him, one of the biggest things was — because I get the repuation of 'oh if you sign, he's gonna try to move you to a bigger market or bigger team' — that was one of the things, he's like, 'Rich, I really want to see this thing through here in Sacramento because they drafted me' and he likes the ownership, front office, etc."

Fox never wanted to leave Sacramento

Fox played his first seven seasons in Sacramento before things started to go south in year eight, leading to a move at the 2025 trade deadline. Leading up to that deadline, though, Fox and the franchise were drifting apart, and it was very clear that his time in Sacramento was coming to an end.

Despite having limited success with the Kings, seeing just one playoff appearance, and not having any series wins, Fox was seen as one of the best players in franchise history. Fox finished his time with the Kings by being in the top four in all-time points, assists, and steals, and it was unfortunate to see his Sacramento tenure come to an end earlier than anyone would have anticipated.

🚨BREAKING: Kings are finalizing a deal to send De'Aaron Fox to the Spurs in a multi team trade that will also send Bulls' Zach LaVine to the Kings, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/eQhPWJZp1R

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 3, 2025

To Fox's credit, he did see things through with the Kings, leading the franchise to their first playoff appearance after a 16-year drought, and came just one win away from their first second-round appearance since 2003-04. After that, though, things quickly went downhill as the front office and ownership failed to make the proper improvements to keep them competitive in the West.

If the Kings showed that they were still able to compete in the grueling West, Fox likely would have been much more inclined to hang around in Sacramento, but after firing head coach Mike Brown and declining all around, it is tough to blame Fox for wanting a change of scenery.

Rich Paul gives Fox his options to leave, at the Kings' expense

"The writing was on the wall," Paul said about Fox's declining situation in Sacramento. "But we handled it very professionally, as professionally as you can. You see the disgrunt and stuff like that, but you still have to go out and play."

De’Aaron Fox on the Kings:

“I don’t really have anything to say. It is what it is… The grass is greener on this side.”

(via @MarcJSpears) pic.twitter.com/5iicYfe5vi

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 15, 2025

Many fans would likely disagree that the situation was handled professionally, as Paul made it very public that they were looking for a trade, and even revealed that the Spurs were his preferred destination. By doing this, it put the Kings in a very challenging position and practically ruined any leverage they might have had in negotiations.

"The foresight was, let's look at these teams: Orlando, San Antonio, teams that really need a point guard, but also had some other key pieces that he would fit right into and be able to catapult," Paul continued. "Ultimately, we landed on San Antonio, and San Antonio saw it as well."

It is unfortunate how Fox's time in Sacramento ended, but the star point guard has found a good home in San Antonio and is helping Victor Wembanyama and company compete in the West, unlike the Kings, who are sitting at 8-29 on the season.