Kings News and Notes: De'Aaron Fox visits, Malik Monk and Domantas Sabonis near return

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Make no mistake, there were boos aimed at former Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox on Friday night. When he was announced as a starter for the San Antonio Spurs, some fans booed. Every time Fox touched the ball, there were more boos. 

When the Kings ran a tribute video of Fox during the first quarter, there were a few people in Golden 1 Center that voiced their displeasure, but an overwhelming amount of fans in the arena stood and paid their respects for a player who spent his first seven and a half years in a Kings uniform.

This is life in the NBA and Fox knew what he was getting into when he visited Sacramento for the first time since being traded to San Antonio on February 3.

“I enjoyed my time (in Sacramento), I really enjoyed the fans and you cheer for your team,” Fox said after the Spurs lost 127-109 to the Kings. 

Fox said he didn’t get emotional over the tribute, but he did appreciate the love after spending the evening back in the arena he spent most of his career playing in. 

Following the game, Fox made his way to center court and greeted his former teammates. There were hugs and smiles and a few conversations. This is all part of the business of basketball. Players get traded. Players move on. In the end, it’s a game and the friendships and bonds created usually survive a breakup, no matter how messy. 

If you want to rehash all of the chaos that ensued building up to Fox’s departure from Sacramento, there are two pieces that surfaced on Friday that capture nearly every aspect. 

ESPN’s Michael C. Wright interviewed Fox prior to Friday’s matchup in Sacramento and laid out the star guard’s side of the story. Sam Amick and Anthony Slater took a different approach in their article in The Athletic, painting a picture of the dysfunction and chaos behind the scenes that led to Fox asking to play elsewhere. 

The truth is, this is an extremely complex story and there is likely more that will come out in the weeks and months ahead as more decisions are made with the direction of the Kings’ franchise. For now, the focus is on the court and the team that is currently assembled in Sacramento, but make no mistake, whether it’s the coaching staff, the front office or the roster, more change is likely on the horizon.

20-11

Interim head coach Doug Christie improved to 20-11 on the season with the victory over the Spurs. He has the Kings heading in the right direction and his .645 win percentage to date is impressive.

“I haven’t looked at a lot of that actually,” Christie said about his win/loss record following the victory over San Antonio. “This is all about our guys, it’s not really about me. I’m a vessel to try and let them be the best version of themselves and put them in the position to be successful.”

When Christie took over the Kings, the team was in the midst of a five game losing streak and sat at 13-18 on the season. Not only has he guided the group to an impressive record, but he has been at the helm through a roster makeover that included the departure of Fox and the additions of Zach LaVine, Jonas Valanciunas, Jake LaRavia and Markelle Fultz.

Christie still has the interim head coaching tag attached to his name, but he’s clearly making his case for the full time job next year with the team’s strong play through major adversity this season.

Depth on display

The Kings have found a way to win two of their last three games without the services of All-NBA center Domantas Sabonis, who is nursing a grade 1 hamstring strain. In addition, starting guard Malik Monk has missed the last two games with a right toe sprain.

Jonas Valanciunas has stepped in for Sabonis and played extremely well. The veteran center, who arrived from Washington at the trade deadline, is averaging 16 points, 11.3 rebounds, five assists and a block while shooting 56.8 percent from the field over the last three games. The points and rebounds aren’t a huge surprise, but the five assists are a welcomed bonus.

Keon Ellis continues to shine as well as the “sixth starter” for the Kings. With Monk sidelined, Ellis has stuffed the stat sheet, averaging 10.5 points, five rebounds, 3.5 assists, three steals and 1.5 blocks over the last two games. 

These two have helped lessen the blow from the absence of Sabonis and Monk, but they aren’t the only ones settling into new roles. Jake LaRavia and Trey Lyles have both had nice moments over the last few games and are developing some chemistry as a reserve forward tandem.

It’s never great to have two of your starters out of action, but sometimes it opens a door for the rest of the roster to get some much needed time to build chemistry and get a rhythm on the court. 

On Saturday afternoon, the Kings updated the status of both Sabonis and Monk. Sabonis has been cleared to resume on court workouts, but the team has ruled him out for both the Clippers game on Sunday and Monday’s matchup against the Knicks. The Kings don’t play again until Thursday, which gives Sabonis an extra couple of days to make sure he’s close to 100 percent before returning.

Like Sabonis, Monk has been cleared to resume on court workouts. He is out against the Clippers, but there is a chance he makes his return on Monday against New York. 

A new opportunity

One of the sub-plots to this season was the departure of much of Mike Brown’s coaching staff before the season began. Jordi Fernandez left to take the head coaching job in Brooklyn and he took Dutch Gaitely and Deividas Dulkys with him. 

When Brown was let go in late December, Luke Loucks, the Kings’ defensive coordinator, was one of the few hand picked coaches remaining from his original staff from the 2022-23 season in Sacramento. Loucks coached his last game with the Kings on Friday and is on his way to Florida State to take over as the head coach of his alma mater. 

The rumors of Loucks’ potential departure started earlier this season when Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton announced he was retiring following this season. Loucks played for Hamilton from 2008-2012 and has deep ties to the program.