Klutch Sports signs Kings’ De’Aaron Fox; Lakers’ LeBron James says ‘welcome to the family’

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was among the first to welcome Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox to “the family” after Fox’s move to Klutch Sports Group was officially announced.

Klutch Sports formally announced the addition of Fox via Twitter shortly before 9 a.m. Monday, confirming news ESPN 1320 first reported two weeks ago. James reacted moments later, tweeting: “Welcome to the family @swipathefox!!! #KlutchGene.”

The Klutch announcement came as the Kings (10-8) were preparing to face the Phoenix Suns (13-6) on Monday at Golden 1 Center.

Fox, 24, joined Klutch after parting ways with longtime trainer Chris Gaston and Family First Sports. Klutch, which was founded by NBA agent Rich Paul in 2012, represents NBA stars such as James, Anthony Davis, Zach LaVine, Dejounte Murray, Ben Simmons, John Wall and Trae Young.

Fox’s decision to join Klutch triggered a wave of social media reaction, much of it from Lakers fans who saw it was a prelude to a move to join James in Los Angeles. Fox told Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes that is not the case.

“When you’re an athlete who has any notoriety and you make a major change, it’s going to circulate and people are going to speculate,” Fox said. “But for me, I love being in Sacramento. This move had nothing to do with wanting to be traded or wanting to move on. This has more to do with myself and the business of basketball, and I feel like they’re able to help me in ways that I’ve never been able to be helped before. It was really a level up.”

Fox, who came out of Kentucky as the No. 5 pick in the 2017 NBA draft, is averaging 25.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists in his sixth season with the Kings. He is shooting career highs of 53% from the field, 38.9% from 3-point range and 82% at the free-throw line.

Fox is in the second year of the five-year, $163 million max contract he signed with Sacramento in November 2020. The contract could be worth up to $195.6 million with incentives. Fox will earn a base salary of $30.4 million this season, $32.6 million in 2023-24, $34.8 million in 2024-25 and $37.1 million in 2025-26 before potentially becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2026.