The Sacramento Kings are giving De’Aaron Fox a max extension.
The first maximum contract extension of 2020 NBA free agency is in, and it belongs to De’Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the fourth-year point guard, who was eligible for a rookie-scale extension as a member of the 2017 draft class, will receive a five-year, $163 million max deal from the Kings.
He also has a clause in this contract to reach the $195.6 million super-max based on how he performs:
De’Aaron Fox is staying with the Sacramento Kings for the long haul
This is hardly a surprise, considering Fox is the new centerpiece of the Kings’ ongoing rebuild. Averaging a career-high 21.1 points, 6.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game last season, the 22-year-old speedster shot 48 percent from the field and continued to thrill Sacramento fans on a nightly basis with his lightning-quick speed and well-rounded game.
Though his 3-point shooting nosedived from 37.1 percent the season prior to 29.2 percent in 2019-20, Fox also only played in 51 games. With a full season that (hopefully) isn’t disrupted by injuries or the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Fox should re-establish himself in the national spotlight as one of the more promising youngsters in the league.
With Bogdan Bogdanovic likely to leave in restricted free agency and Tyrese Haliburton joining the roster as the 12th overall pick in this year’s draft, locking in Fox was essential for the backcourt. He’ll have some areas he needs to improve to become a legitimate franchise star that helps turn the organization around and end the 14-year playoff drought, but the Kings should be comfortable with investing in him to become that player.
It’s a no-brainer deal, but a significant one for the Kings’ future and De’Aaron Fox’s livelihood.