Everything in Sacramento comes back to De’Aaron Fox, whose representation met with Kings brass earlier this year to discuss the franchise’s long-term plans, per The Athletic’s Sam Amick. Fox made clear his continued presence in California’s capitol depends on the team “continuing to get better year after year.”

Sacramento has no business putting a future pick on the table for what might be a Butler rental if it doesn’t believe Fox will view the move favorably.

This is an admittedly odd time for a risky, win-now Kings trade. The team has won seven straight after dropping Doug Christie’s debut, and the vibes are far better than they were just a couple of weeks ago. Of course, Sacramento’s surge just barely got its record over .500. It’s not easy to take that result to Fox and convince him it constitutes the kind of improvement he wants to see.

Adding Butler might be the best way to show Fox that the organization is committed to being something more than the first-round out it was two years ago. Maybe the six-time All-Star wouldn’t guarantee a 50-win season for a Kings team that has spent most of January climbing out of the hole it dug in November and December, but his presence would give Sacramento a dangerous element it currently lacks.

Even when the Heat were just hanging around .500, you couldn’t discuss their playoff viability without acknowledging Butler was one of the only players in the league with a demonstrated track record of lifting his team’s level. Finals runs and repeated postseason overachievements were the norm. No one took the Heat lightly in do-or-die games because Butler had a way of willing his team to improbable victories.

If the Kings want to become something more than a one-and-done playoff pushover, they need that kind of high-risk ceiling-raiser. If Butler shows up, shines and gets his team into the second round or beyond, Fox will have to look at that and admit the Kings are doing everything possible to chase improvement.

In that sense, trading for an aging star could be the key to the Kings retaining the in-prime one they already have.