Tag: De’Aaron Fox

Would these three potential star trade targets fit the Celtics?

Here are three possible trade candidates for the Boston Celtics to acquire, but would they fit the roster?

Tuning into a Boston Celtics game lately has been like going to make a late-night hot chocolate, venturing to the refrigerator and finding out you bought reduced-fat whipped cream instead of regular. It’s fine, but just not quite what you were looking for.

This Celtics team is still figuring itself out under first-year head coach Ime Udoka and figuring out life without a distinct third option to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Gone are Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving. Now it’s just the two young wings, Marcus Smart, an aging Al Horford and Co. Boston’s supporting cast has done it here and there but hasn’t quite found the key to the consistency Udoka is looking for.

There has been talk among fans and pundits of what the Celtics can do at the deadline to improve their performance. Some of it has centered on blowing things up and starting over; others adopt the opposite approach. Take Jack Simone’s piece for CelticsBlog that outlines targets the Celtics could have at the deadline for another star. Simone suggests a list of 10 but keys in on three.

Let’s take a look at what he suggests.

WATCH: What would it take to get the Sacramento Kings’ De’Aaron Fox to the Boston Celtics?

If Boston wanted an upgrade at the point, would Fox make sense? And what would it likely take?

The Boston Celtics need to make changes to move closer to being a true contender, and many analysts believe the missing piece for the team is a true floor general in the mold of a Rajon Rondo or Bob Cousy.

One such prospective trade target is De’Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings, who has hinted at the prospect of a change for himself as well.

What would it take to get Fox to the Celtics before the end of the 2021-22 NBA trade deadline? Is there a path to convince the Kings what Boston has on its roster and in its coffers is worth swapping for in a deal that could conceivably make both teams better off in the long run?

The hosts of the CLNS Media podcast “Celtics Beat” Adam Kaufman and Evan Valenti recently dived into such a debate with guest Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, weighing the pros and cons of such a proposition against its plausibility.

Watch the clip embedded above to see their perspective on what it might take to get such a deal done, and whether it makes sense for the Celtics.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Trade rumor rankings: De’Aaron Fox, Kemba Walker and more

HoopsHype ranks the five players who have appeared most in trade rumors over the past seven days, headlined by De’Aaron Fox.

The time has arrived for another part of our Trade Rumor Rankings series, where we take the five players who have appeared the most often on our Trade Rumors Page over the past week.

This week is point guard-heavy, with De’Aaron Fox and Kemba Walker leading the way on this edition of the series.

Let’s jump right in.

Trade rumor rankings: De’Aaron Fox, Kemba Walker and more

The time has arrived for another part of our Trade Rumor Rankings series, where we take the five players who have appeared the most often on our Trade Rumors Page over the past week.

This week is point guard-heavy, with De’Aaron Fox and Kemba Walker leading the way on this edition of the series.

Let’s jump right in.

Should the Boston Celtics be making calls about De’Aaron Fox’s trade availability?

Prominent analysts are wondering if the Kings guard’s days in Sacramento are numbered.

The Sacramento Kings are bad. So bad that their fans are puking in the stands during games, and people are only half-joking that it’s the play of the Kings that caused it. Bad enough to sack head coach Luke Walton before the season’s a quarter done — and analysts don’t think it’s just the fault of the son of the Boston Celtics champion Bill to blame.

Star Sacramento point guard De’Aaron Fox has been having the sort of rough start in terms of efficiency as has many stars around the league, including Boston’s Jayson Tatum. But unlike Tatum, Fox’s game hasn’t improved much yet, and with a surplus of guards on the team’s roster, might well be a candidate to be traded according to The Athletic’s Sam Amick.

Should the Celtics inquire about Fox’s availability? Even with his rough start, he’s playing about as well if not better than any guard on Boston’s roster (19.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game) save for his atrocious accuracy from deep (24.4%), while also being just 23 years old.

Boston would have a shot at perhaps buying low while banking that the Kentucky product could adjust and return to the player he’s shown flashes of in the past.

Of course, he actually has to be available and for a cost the Celtics would be willing to pay, but is absolutely another candidate to keep tabs on as more players become moveable in mid-December.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Kings still making De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton unavailable for Sixers

The Sacramento Kings are still not making De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton available in a trade.

The Sacramento Kings are going through yet another transition after firing coach Luke Walton on Sunday. This is another major change the franchise has made in their never-ending quest to end their long playoff drought since their last appearance in 2006.

With the Philadelphia 76ers in town on Monday to take on the Kings, which turned out to be a Sixers win, there was the idea that maybe the Kings would make another big move. Maybe they could talk to the Sixers across the locker room and see what it would take to complete a Ben Simmons deal.

Philadelphia has remained patient on the Simmons trade front. They still want a star player in return for the 25-year-old. The Kings were rumored to be involved for Simmons over the summer, but they were hesitant to give up young guards De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton.

Even with the slow start by the Kings, that looks to still be the case. Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report states:

And despite strong preseason chatter that a slow start in Sacramento could lead to a potential Ben Simmons trade with Philadelphia, there remains no significant current discussion between the Sixers and Kings. Fox and Tyrese Halliburton are still deemed unavailable, and second-year standout Tyrese Maxey has emerged as a legitimate starting point guard in Philadelphia.

Tyrese Maxey’s strong play to begin the season has changed a lot for the Sixers. They now have the luxury to stay patient on a Simmons deal and wait for him to get better in the mental health department and see if they can convince him to get back on the floor. While a trade for Fox or Haliburton would excite fans, it might be better to just continue to wait something out on the Simmons front.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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De’Aaron Fox calls Davion Mitchell a top-five on-ball defender

Fox put Mitchell up there with the likes of Jrue Holiday and Marcus Smart as some of the best on-ball defenders in the NBA.

Davion Mitchell has yet to suit up in an official NBA game but the Sacramento Kings rookie is already earning high comparisons when it comes to his defensive ability.

Of course, Mitchell was named the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year last year after averaging 14.1 points, 5.5 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.9 steals at Baylor. He was the first player in program history to also earn Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Certainly, Mitchell arrived in Sacramento with great credentials as a defender. He flashed that ability during the Las Vegas Summer League and now during the preseason, leaving those watching him impressed with that knack for locking up the opposition.

However, his teammates have the chance to see it every day in practice.

Tyrese Haliburton hilariously said he was excited to finally see other defenders when the Kings tipped off the preseason this week. De’Aaron Fox, though, offered even higher praise for Mitchell, calling him a top-five on-ball defender in the league.

He even put Mitchell in the same category as Marcus Smart, Patrick Beverley and Jrue Holiday.

When he is locked in on the ball, it’s crazy to watch. The way he is able to stop and go, it hurts my legs watching. He is such a great on-ball defender. In the league right now, he is (in the) top five in on-ball defenders. When you watch him, it’s amazing. He does stuff on the ball that you just can’t teach.

The things he does defensively, that’s a gift. Obviously, some things can be taught but what he does, just the detail he has and the way his feet, knees and hips are just moving, that stuff you can’t teach.

Mitchell has drawn some tough defensive assignments to begin the preseason. He was tasked with guarding Paul George and Eric Bledsoe on Wednesday and mostly held his own in those matchups. One sequence against George went a bit viral.

Certainly, the traits Fox outlined of Mitchell — moving his feet, knees and hips — are on full display on that play. Completely shutting down a player like George doesn’t happen often but forcing him into tough shots is key, something Mitchell did.

The praise by Fox caught Mitchell by surprise, but he was thankful for it.

It means a lot, especially because I’m guarding him in practice. Guarding Fox, he is really good. He can shoot the ball, pass the ball, run the team. He is making me a lot better, especially going out into a real game, I’m getting to guard those guards and it’s not the same because when I’m guarding Fox it’s different.

Mitchell has seemingly impressed everyone within the Kings’ organization during his short stint with the team. He has previously earned praise by Fox and Haliburton for his work ethic, and each believes he is ready to contribute now.

The work for Mitchell and the rest of the Kings continues ahead of the regular season but it appears as though the rookie will be turning quite a few heads with his play on the court, inside and outside of the team.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Kings’ De’Aaron Fox believes Davion Mitchell is ready to contribute now

Fox and the Kings believe Mitchell can step in and contribute right away as a rookie this season.

Sacramento Kings rookie Davion Mitchell has seemingly impressed his teammates and coaches over the offseason and they believe that hard work could yield a strong rookie campaign this season.

Mitchell, who was the ninth overall pick, was named co-MVP of the Las Vegas Summer League after averaging 10.8 points, 5.8 assists and 1.4 rebounds. He shot 47.1% from 3-point range and flashed his elite defensive ability throughout his time in Las Vegas.

His addition to the lineup projects to give the Kings yet another guard to utilize on both ends of the floor. He was named the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year last season at Baylor, something that will be highly beneficial for the Kings.

Mitchell has had the opportunity to get to know his teammates after running in some pickup games with De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton. They each were impressed with what they saw in him as Fox believes Mitchell is ready to contribute right away.

“He’s an older rookie so he’s more NBA ready and he’s a stronger guy,” Fox said on Monday. “He’s over 200 pounds at like 6-foot or 6-1, so I think he’s ready. I think he’s ready to contribute to the team now. We’ve played pickup and he’s an NBA player.”

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Fox pointed to the way Mitchell can anticipate the next play on the court as one area of his game that stood out the most. He also noticed how he uses his size and strength to get to his spots on offense and lock up the opposition on defense.

Of course, Mitchell will have his fair share of ups and downs this season as a rookie but Fox and the Kings won’t be looking at it that way. Instead, they see him as an overall NBA player.

“Obviously, this year, people are (going to call him a rookie) but for us, we’re not looking at it that way,” Fox said. “It’s the same way we kinda looked at Tyrese last year. He is an NBA player. We’re not worried about him being a rookie, or if you’re in your third or fourth season, that doesn’t matter for us. He is definitely going to come in and help us change a lot of that.”

The addition of Mitchell figures to give the Kings a potential elite 3-and-D player given his ability on both ends of the floor. His selection may have been questioned by some given their backcourt situation but it is evident he should check a lot of boxes for the Kings.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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The fastest players in the league, according to NBA 2K22

Check out the fastest players in the league, according to NBA 2K22.

In the newly released NBA 2K22 video game, the franchise ranked every player in the league based on their speed, as they do every year, and they did an adept job at it.

Leading the way is the speedster De’Aaron Fox, followed immediately by Russell Westbrook and Ja Morant. Even LeBron James made the Top 20 of this list.

Below, check out the fastest players in the league, according to NBA 2K22.