Point guard De'Aaron Fox has declined a $165 million contract extension offer from the Sacramento Kings because he wants to get a bigger deal next summer. Fox is betting on himself that he can make an All-NBA team this season because if he does, he will be eligible to sign a super-max deal, which will be the biggest contract in NBA history.
While Fox has the tools to make an All-NBA team, former NBA player Nick Young doesn't think he will because he plays for the Sacramento Kings.
"He gets snubbed too much," said Young. "People disrespect De'Aaron Fox too much. I think he probably has to get out of Sacramento. He be in there too long. I don't know. To me De'Aaron Fox should be for sure a Top 5 point guard in this league. I think so, but he don't get no credit for what he's doing. People put everybody about De'Aaron Fox, he gets forgot about every time."
Fox only has one All-NBA selection
To 'Swaggy P.'s point, the 6'3" guard certainly hasn't gotten enough accolades for his impressive play. After he was drafted 5th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Kings, De'Aaron has improved each year and has become one of the league's elite point guards.
Fox averaged over 21 points per game in each of the last five seasons and has career averages of 6.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Despite those, he's earned only one All-Star nod and one All-NBA selection.
"I think it's just cuz because it's Sacramento," added Young. "I don't know. You go to Sacramento, it's like the last…you done after that. It's over. It's a graveyard. Like, that's the last stop. Sac and Wizards now, and Detroit. Like it's the last stop before you go to the upper room."
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Lack of team success has hurt Fox
While it's true that Sacramento isn't as popular as the other California NBA teams and is not as marketable as them, as Young says, it's not the city that has prevented Louisiana native from getting the accolades that he deserves. It's the Kings' lack of success.
Sacramento has only had two winning seasons in Fox's seven-year tenure there. The first one was in 2022-23 when they won 48 games and were the third seed in the West. That was the year when the former Kentucky Wildcat earned his only All-Star and All-NBA selections. The Kings also won 46 games last season but failed to make the playoffs.
The franchise added midrange maestro DeMar DeRozan during the offseason, and he makes the Kings a better team than they were last year. Hopefully, they will win enough games and make the playoffs. Perhaps that will influence the awards voters to put De'Aaron on one of the three All-NBA teams.
Related: "Fast as sh**" - DeMar DeRozan on De'Aaron Fox's speed and the chance to play with him in Sacramento
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