Freefalling Nets reportedly in Fox hunt

Brooklyn among teams interested in Kings guard

January 29, 2025 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

De'Aaron Fox looked at home in Brooklyn Monday night. The Nets are reportedly interested in acquiring the Kings' All-Star guard ahead of the NBA trade deadline. AP Photo by Frank Franklin II

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In the midst of their longest losing streak in three years and coming off their 11th straight defeat at Downtown’s Barclays Center, the Brooklyn Nets are reportedly looking for a new floor leader.

One that rookie coach Jordi Fernández is quite familair with, be it during his two years as an assistant in Sacramento, or as recently as Monday night on the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush.

According to multiple sources, Kings guard De’Aaron Fox is seeking a new NBA home ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

The Nets, who have lost seven in a row and haven’t won in Brooklyn since Dec. 4, are one of the teams in the hunt for his services.

The 27-year-old New Orleans native put up a game-high 30 points at Barclays Monday as the Kings used a big second half to extend Brooklyn’s home woes with a 110-96 victory.

Fox drained 11-of-19 shots, including four 3-pointers, made all four of his free throws and dished out seven assists to remind Fernández that triple-double machine Domantas Sabonis isn’t the Kings’ only lethal weapon.

“Fox had (30) points and we tried to put two on him and make him pass the ball and live with someone else making the shot, ” Fernández ceded. “That’s the reason why we’re trying to get the ball out of De’Aaron’s hands.”

The 41-year-old rookie coach would doubtlessly love to have Fox in his starting five, either this season or going forward as the University of Kentucky alum will be eligible for free agency in 2026.

Fox leads the Kings with 25.2 points per game and 1.5 steals per contest, and ranks second with 6.2 assists.

He’d be a perfect fit for a Brooklyn squad which lost point guard Dennis Schröder via trade to Golden State earlier this year and can’t rely on oft-injured playmaker Ben Simmons.

D’Angelo Russell’s return to Brooklyn has produced inspiring results, but the veteran point man doesn’t draw fans or defenders the way Fox has since entering the league in 2017 as Sacramento’s first-round pick (fifth overall).

With the deadline for deals just over a week away, Fox chose an opportune time to reveal he might be leaving the Kings when he gets his chance.

Mired in their longest slump since an 11-game slide from Jan. 23-Feb. 12, 2022, the Nets do have attractive trade bait to land Fox.

Cam Johnson, averaging a team- and career-high 19.4 points per game, and center Nic Claxton, coveted for his high energy and defensive prowess, could be on the move if Fox approves a deal to move Downtown.

Also, the Nets are stocked with 31 draft picks over the next seven years after trading off the likes of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Mikal Bridges, Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith over the past three campaigns.

Center Nic Claxton could become attractive trade bait if the Nets remain in the hunt for Sacramento guard De’Aaron Fox. AP Photo by David Zalubowski

The Kings could pick up a bushel of picks and get back two NBA starters for Fox.

But that’s only if the 2023 All-Star and All-NBA selection wants to accelerate Brooklyn’s rebuild rather than join a ready-made team in San Antonio or Miami.

He could also team up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis to help the Los Angeles Lakers chase another title.

The Nets (14-33) certainly won’t have Fox in mind or on the hardwood when they visit Charlotte Wednesday to open a two-game road trip against the Hornets (12-31).

Brooklyn and Charlotte are both six games out of the final play-in tournament spot in the Eastern Conference, though the Hornets have played much better than the Nets of late, going 4-4 since a season-high 10-game skid.

Both teams’ lottery positions in the draft are more appealing than their postseason hopes.

Miles Bridges put up 26 points Monday in L.A., but Charlotte’s late rally fell short in a 112-107 defeat to the Lakers.

The Hornets also lost leading scorer LaMelo Ball to an ankle sprain in the second quarter, making his availability for Wednesday’s game questionable at best.

Brooklyn continues to have plenty of injury issues of its own as Johnson (ankle) will not play on this trip, which ends in Houston on Saturday night.

Also, the Nets will be without Noah Clowney (ankle) and Cam Thomas, who was scheduled to get a scan on the ailing hamstring that has limited him to two appearances since Nov. 25.

Fernández did reveal prior to Monday’s loss that power forward Trendon Watford, out since Dec. 16 with a hamstring injury, will be back on the hardwood in either Charlotte or Houston this week.

The Nets beat the Hornets, 116-115, at Barclays on Nov. 19 behind 34 points from Johnson. Watford scored Brooklyn’s final seven points over the last two minutes to seal the victory.

Tip-off Wednesday in Charlotte is slated for 7 p.m.

The Nets didn’t just retire Vince Carter’s No. 15 Saturday, they also revealed plans to refurbish two basketball courts, including one in Brooklyn, in his honor. AP Photo by Noah K. Murray

NOTHING BUT NET: Though they suffered a 106-97 loss to Miami Saturday when they retired Vince Carter’s No. 15, the Nets provided some good news prior to raising the high-flying forward’s jersey to the rafters. The organization announced a basketball court and gymnasium refurbishment project at Madison Square Boys and Girls Club’s Thomas S. Murphy Clubhouse in East Flatbush to further honor the former Net and Hall of Famer. The renovated space will be called “The Vince Carter Community Gymnasium”. “I am truly honored to have this gymnasium named after me and am grateful to the Nets for this recognition,” said Carter. “My hope is that this space will not only be a place for youth to train and grow, but also serve as a hub for education, learning, and development. I want the youth who step through these doors to know that hard work, dedication and belief in themselves can take them further than they ever imagined.” Additionally, the Nets will fund a second gymnasium renovation project in New Jersey in honor of Carter. … After this two-game sojourn, the Nets will be back in Brooklyn to complete a home-and-home set with the Rockets on Tuesday.