How does not signing an extension in the offseason now equate to “Fox wants a trade?” That’s quite a leap on your end. There are two obvious reasons as to why he wouldn’t sign an extension…
- Giving himself a chance at being eligible for a supermax
- Seeing how competitive the team is and if they are on an upward trajectory
As you can see, both of those are valid reasons for not signing an extension in this offseason. Regarding #2, if we don’t end up being a competitive team this year, if Monte doesn’t upgrade the roster, etc., then sure. He very well may request a trade or signal to the Kings that he doesn’t want to resign. Could I blame him? No.
The intel suggests that Monte came to Fox/Paul with a trade proposal. Not the other way around. This is why there are…
- Reports that Wilcox called Paul (not Paul calling Wilcox)
- Tweets from Recee claiming that Fox didn’t request a trade
- Reports that still indicate that Fox is willing/open to resigning with SAC
And no, somebody purchasing real estate in their home towns is not nearly enough evidence that Fox has been planning a coup this entire time. Especially since there are reports that he
would not sign an extension if traded to HOU (where one of his houses is).
I think people are misinterpreting the report Amick put out that says that Paul says it would be wise to move him. If the Kings are in fact open to trading Fox (which they clearly indicated they are when Wilcox called up Paul), it only makes sense for Paul to advise the Kings to trade him sooner so it doesn’t interfere with Fox’s ability to sign an extension with his new team. And there is a dollar amount difference when resigning/extending with your current team vs. choosing to sign with a brand new team in FA.