De’Aaron Fox makes emotional return to Sacramento after trade to Spurs

De’Aaron Fox will be stepping onto the court at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center as a visitor for the first time in his career, as the San Antonio Spurs gear up to face off against the Kings tonight (10 ET, NBA League Pass).

Drafted No. 5 overall by the Kings in 2017, Fox played 521 games (regular season and postseason combined) in Sacramento before being traded to the Spurs at the trade deadline on Feb. 3.

In 2022-23, Fox won the inaugural Kia Clutch Player of the Year Award as his exemplary play in clutch moments helped the Kings to their most successful season in nearly two decades. Sacramento won 48 games that year, finished 3rd in the West and ended the longest playoff drought in NBA history by reaching the postseason for the first time in 17 years.

Fox’s Kings resume includes ranking in the top five in franchise history in each of the following categories:

After hitting five game-winning shots in the final 10 seconds during his tenure in Sacramento, Fox gave Spurs fans a taste of his clutch heroics last week when he hit a stepback jumper with 1.8 seconds left to beat the Grizzlies on the road on March 1.

In his first 13 games with San Antonio – only five of which were alongside Victor Wembanyama before the All-Star center was ruled out for the season due to a blood clot – Fox has averaged 19.3 points, 6.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.

Playing a slightly different role than he did as primary scorer for the Kings, Fox’s usage rate is down nearly three percent and his scoring has dropped by nearly six points per game, while his assists and steals have both risen.

What should we expect from Fox back in his old gym?

At the end of Sacramento’s last home game on Feb. 24 – before they went on a four-game road trip – the Kings promoted their next home game against the Spurs on the scoreboard with a graphic featuring Zach LaVine and Fox.

The crowd began booing when the image hit the scoreboard, which could serve as an indicator of the reception Fox will receive on Friday night as many fans believe Fox pushed for the trade.

One thing Kings fans should know after watching Fox for the past seven-plus seasons: he plays better when he’s angry. If the boos rain down, expect to see some fireworks from Fox.