The Sacramento Kings have seemingly known for some time that De'Aaron Fox was unlikely to sign a contract extension this offseason. All the way back in June, The Athletic reported that Fox wanted to see how the Kings managed their roster over the summer before making a commitment. On Monday, ESPN's Shams Charania confirmed Fox's plan not to sign an extension, though the roster had little to do with it. Charania reported that Fox has been engaged with the Kings over the past few years and was involved in the decision to add DeMar DeRozan.
The motivations for Fox were reportedly financial. Fox was eligible to add $165 million and three years to his current, rookie-max contract this offseason. By waiting a year, he opens at least one more lucrative door and perhaps two.
No matter what, Fox will be eligible for a four-year, $229 million extension next offseason. By waiting the extra season, he becomes eligible to get that extra year because he'd have one fewer year left on his existing contract. As NBA contracts can include raises up to 8%, the final year of that possible extension would be the most lucrative of them all. An older player risking decline might prefer to sign right away from security, but Fox is 26 and in his prime. His value is likely to carry over at least one more year and probably far more, so he can feel relatively safe in waiting to secure the extra money.
But if Fox has a truly great season, he can earn even more than $229 million. If he makes an All-NBA Team (or wins Defensive Player of the Year or MVP but let's call that unlikely and move on) he'll be eligible for a super-max extension. That would allow him to add five new seasons to his existing contract next summer and guarantee him a staggering $345 million. That would be the biggest contract in NBA history, though given the league's current economic climate, that record is likely to be broken pretty much every year for the foreseeable future.
The potential to become the highest-paid player in NBA history holds obvious appeal to just about any superstar. In Fox's case, the patience does have the secondary benefit of allowing this season to play out. The Kings expect to be a playoff team this season, but DeRozan is 35 and the Kings got knocked out in the Play-In Tournament last season. While finances are the obvious reason Fox would wait on an extension, it never hurts to keep your options open where the Kings are concerned. Sacramento has made the playoffs once in the past 18 seasons.
Fox is already a very well-paid point guard. He's going to make far more in the very near future. At this point, it's just a matter of how exactly how much he ultimately gets. By waiting one more year, he has a chance to earn substantially more than he could today.
