The Sacramento Kings have been in a downward spiral since they fired head coach Mike Brown 31 games (13-18) into last season.
Doing so caused De’Aaron Fox, who had been the franchise point guard for six and a half seasons, to make it clear that he planned to pursue a change of scenery at the end of his contract.
Having already played for four coaches at that point, Fox knew that they had something right with Brown. He explicitly told the front office — then ‘led’ by general manager Monte McNair — that if he were to play for another coach, it would be for a different organisation.
When Brown was fired, Fox held to his word. He made it clear he had no intention of extending with the Kings in the offseason, as his agency announced San Antonio as the preferred destination.
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.
Meanwhile, the New York Knicks hired Brown to replace Tom Thibodeau as they pursue a deeper run than their Eastern Conference Finals appearance the previous year.
Two key contributors to Sacramento’s upward trajectory from a few seasons ago — the original Beam Team — find themselves thriving above and beyond what they’d been able to accomplish with the Kings.
Brown’s Knicks own an 18-7 record, the second-best in the Eastern Conference. Fox missed the first eight games of the season with an offseason hamstring injury but has impressed in his 17 showings for the now 18-7 Spurs, along with old friend Harrison Barnes.
Meanwhile, the Doug Christie and Zach LaVine-led Kings own an abysmal 6-20 record, one of the five worst in the league. Turning Brown away after a non-linear trajectory was foolish of them. While players other than Fox appeared to agree with the decision, shifting away from the stability and normalcy they seemed to be building in the NBA has proven harmful.
I’d also say that trading Fox for what was widely viewed as one of the worst contracts in the league, with LaVine’s remaining three-year, $140 million salary, was confusing at the time and looks even more so in hindsight.
There’s no denying that change was needed. Maybe their relationship with Fox was bound to end when he went into his final season, but keep in mind that he was still under contract for the current 2025-26 contract at the time of the deal. Yes, Fox’s agency making San Antonio the clear market impacted his trade value, but that’s typical for a big-time player about to hit free agency.
Just because that was the case doesn’t mean Sacramento had to give in to Fox’s wishes. In fact, if the Spurs knew they were going to luck into Dylan Harper by jumping up to second overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, would they still have been interested in acquiring Fox? Could they then have cultivated a better market from there?
Or even have left Coach Christie, who had a good relationship with Fox, attempt to convince the guard to stick around longer while you wait for a better trade package.
Instead, they sit in their current reality where Fox is talking about greener grass since leaving Sacramento ahead of Tuesday night’s NBA Cup Final. When Brown was asked about the connections headed into the matchup, the now New York head coach took the high road.
Mike Brown: “I wanna thank the Kings…Vivek gave me an opportunity…We enjoyed Sacramento, fans fabulous…Change happens…feel blessed to be in this situation with Knicks”
On his former Kings on the Spurs: “I’m so happy for Fox…& Harrison Barnes…Both tremendous human beings…” pic.twitter.com/dYLtgmSpKc
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) December 15, 2025
“I want to thank the Kings for the opportunity. Vivek gave me an opportunity to coach his team, and so I thank them for that opportunity,” he said Monday. “We enjoyed the city of Sacramento and thank the fans there, they were fabulous… but change happens.”
“I feel fortunate, blessed, and lucky to be in this situation with the New York Knicks,” he continued. Brown went on to compliment the humans and players, noting that Fox and Barnes are ahead of their matchup, which serves as an unwelcome reminder of what the Sacramento Kings all threw away.
Reflecting on the past will only accomplish so much, but this scenario serves as a well-deserved reminder of Sacramento’s recent mistakes as they pray for a draft pick while their former talent succeeds elsewhere.
More Sacramento Kings coverage on Sactown Sports
“The grass is greener on this side,” De’Aaron Fox toldAndscape 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.
Read More:
De’Aaron Fox comments on current state of 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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