Sacramento Kings star De'Aaron Fox recently revealed why he chose to cancel his pre-draft workout with the Phoenix Suns. Fox said the lucrative contracts Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe were on at the time deterred him from viewing the Suns as a viable option ahead of the draft.
Fox, who was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the fifth overall pick in 2017, is regarded as one of the most athletic point guards in the league. However, many believe he is yet to fulfill his potential.
On "The Draymond Green Show," Fox reminisced about his time entering the NBA and why he chose not to work out with the Suns.
"Phoenix, at the time, had just given Brandon Knight $80 million. Eric Bledsoe was on a crazy deal, so I’m like, ‘I don’t want to do that.’ So I canceled my workout.”
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When Green asked Fox whether he regretted his decision in hindsight, the Sacramento guard said:
"I’ve for sure looked back at it. It could have worked ’cause that’s the year Bled had tweeted, ‘Yo, I don’t want to be here no more.’ So, they traded both of them my rookie year.
"That year I didn’t think about it, but three, four years later I’m like, ‘me and Book would’ve been a nice backcourt.’ So, I definitely thought about it 1,000 percent.”
Had things gone down differently, De'Aaron Fox could've been at the Phoenix Suns alongside Devin Booker. In theory, a backcourt pairing of Fox and Booker could have been extremely potent.
De'Aaron Fox has struggled to deliver success for the Sacramento Kings
As mentioned earlier, De'Aaron Fox is one of the most athletic point guards in the league. His speed and agility make him an exciting player to watch. Unfortunately for Sacramento, that hasn't consistently translated into wins.
In his five-year career thus far, Fox has averaged 19.2 points, 6.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game, but has failed to lead the Kings to a playoff berth.
The 24-year-old is currently playing out a five-year deal, but should the Kings continue to fall short of the playoffs, his future might be in question.
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