Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown called out his players for not fouling the Detroit Pistons, up three, which allowed Detroit’s Jaden Ivey to not only hit a tying three-pointer but also get fouled in the act, hitting a free throw to seal the four-point play and ultimately earn a 114-113 win.

He referenced star point guard De’Aaron Fox more than once in his postgame comments:

Less than 24 hours later, the Kings fired Brown, per Shams Charania of ESPN.

And that had pundits and fans on social media debating whether Brown’s firing is something that Fox might have requested, which will entice him to stick around Sacramento—amid comments this year suggesting he’s not thrilled with the direction of the franchise—or whether the dysfunction around the team, including Friday’s firing, will lead to him seeking a departure:

The Kings are entering an incredibly important period with Fox. He’s under contract for the remainder of this season and next season, but after that could hit free agency. He’s already turned down an extension offer, though that was logical, as signing an extension next offseason would allow him to sign a bigger deal.

If Fox doesn’t sign an extension before the 2025-26 season, however, the Kings have basically two decisions: Trade him, or allow him to hit free agency and hope he doesn’t sign elsewhere, leaving the Kings with zero assets in return for his departure.

More than likely, they would take the first option. At this point for the Kings, finding a way to keep Fox engaged in the team’s future is priority No. 1. If he and Brown were no longer seeing eye-to-eye, Friday’s decision is easy enough to understand.

It certainly didn’t help Brown’s cause that Sacramento is just 13-18 on the season and currently 12th in the Eastern Conference after failing to advance past the Play-In Tournament last season. If the Kings can’t rectify that either, Fox is as good as gone. Firing Brown appeared to be a last-ditch effort to keep the star point guard happy in Sacramento.