{"id":110691,"date":"2024-12-05T13:05:31","date_gmt":"2024-12-05T18:05:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=110691"},"modified":"2024-12-05T13:05:31","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T18:05:31","slug":"deaaron-fox-spurs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/12\/05\/deaaron-fox-spurs\/","title":{"rendered":"De’Aaron Fox Could End up on This Western Conference Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

The San Antonio Spurs<\/a> look like a playoff-caliber team after an impressive<\/a> start to the season. Their additions<\/a> of Chris Paul<\/a> and Harrison Barnes<\/a> through savvy moves have gotten them to their best record through 22 games in five years. Despite all the success, Paul<\/a>, at 39, is clearly a stopgap measure. Stephon Castle<\/a> looks like the long-term solution, but the Spurs can fast-track the Victor Wembanyama<\/a> era by adding an All-Star in De’Aaron Fox<\/a>. Such a move would instantly raise the ceiling of what the Spurs can achieve.<\/p>\n

De’Aaron Fox Could End up on the San Antonio Spurs<\/h2>\n

This is what Cal Durrett<\/a> of FanSided is predicting:<\/p>\n

“However, if the Spurs were to go another route, they could pursue Sacramento Kings’ De’Aaron Fox. Fox is having a career year but isn’t under contract with the Kings after next season, making him a possible trade target between now and then as the Kings struggle. Even if they were to opt to keep him for the rest of this season, Fox will hit free agency in the summer of 2026.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Value of Adding Fox to the Spurs<\/h3>\n

Across the league, having multiple ball handlers, especially those with size, is increasingly valuable. Adding Fox would allow Castle to play off an All-Star point guard during his formative years in the league. This adjustment would maximize Castle’s strengths.<\/p>\n

Castle is already showing promise as a solid defender in the NBA, with a defensive rating of 110.5<\/a>. Yet, his offensive game has arguably been more impressive. When he’s on the floor, the Spurs score +6.2<\/a> more points, placing him in the 84th percentile. He consistently positions himself at the right place at the right time. Castle shows promise as an excellent off-guard alongside a ball-dominant point guard.<\/p>\n

\u00a0“That could align with Paul’s retirement and Tre Jones hitting free agency. Both of those players not coming back would leave a hole at point guard that Fox could fill with him being a terrific offensive player who would only be 27 that summer.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Fox provides the Spurs with a long-term fix for their point guard position. This past summer, the Spurs were linked with several point guards, but Fox represents a transformative opportunity. The one-time All-Star is averaging<\/a> 27.2 points, 6.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.7 steals on shooting splits of 49.2\/35.5\/80.6.<\/p>\n

Potential Spurs Trade Package for De’Aaron Fox<\/h3>\n

“A potential deal would depend on what the Kings would prioritize, with them unlikely to do a full rebuild, but another team may not offer much for a player who will hit free agency after a season.<\/p>\n

The Spurs would have players such as Zach Collins<\/a> and Keldon Johnson<\/a> to match salaries, as well as first-round picks to offer. But they probably wouldn’t consider moving on from players such as Castle and Sochan. Whether the Kings ultimately consider moving Fox remains to be seen, but he could be an option for the Spurs.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Spurs possess<\/a> a treasure trove of draft assets. From the Atlanta Hawks<\/a> alone, the Spurs hold unprotected first-round picks in 2025 and 2027, swap rights in 2026, and Boston\u2019s unprotected first-rounder in 2028. They also own the Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a>\u2019 unprotected first-rounder in 2031 and swap rights in 2030. This collection of picks makes the Spurs a formidable trade partner, potentially capable of meeting the Kings’ demands.<\/p>\n

The Kings’ Perspective<\/h3>\n

For the Kings, trading Fox could be a pragmatic decision. Durrett explains:<\/p>\n

“The struggling Kings may be open to trading De’Aaron Fox. The struggling Kings currently rank 12th in the West and face an uphill battle to make the playoffs. Teams such as the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, and Spurs all missed the playoffs last season, but they all look poised to make the postseason or the play-in.<\/p>\n

At best, the Kings are as good as those teams, which means that they probably won’t significantly outperform them in the standings. If the Kings don’t look like a playoff team by the trade deadline, questions will arise about whether Fox will become available.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Kings’ core of Fox, DeMar DeRozan<\/a>, and Domantas Sabonis<\/a> seems stuck in mediocrity. If they miss the playoffs again, this could mark the second time in three years with Fox and Sabonis that the Kings fail to make the postseason. Trading Fox could be their best way out of this cycle.<\/p>\n

Fox\u2019s Contract Situation<\/h3>\n

Fox\u2019s contract situation adds intrigue to his future. Fox turned down a three-year, $160 million<\/a> extension from the Kings in October, possibly signaling his desire to explore more lucrative or strategic opportunities in the upcoming offseason. Represented by Klutch Sports Group<\/a>, Fox holds significant control over his next move, making a trade before free agency an appealing option for Sacramento.<\/p>\n

For The Spurs, De’Aaron Fox Could be the Answer to a Critical Question<\/h3>\n

Adding De’Aaron Fox to the Spurs makes strategic sense for both sides. The Spurs can pair Fox with Wembanyama<\/a> to accelerate their ascent, while the Kings could reset their roster with valuable picks and assets. Fox\u2019s unique contract situation, combined with the Kings\u2019 current struggles, creates a compelling scenario for a blockbuster deal. If the Spurs act decisively, they could secure their point guard of the future and set themselves up as perennial playoff contenders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The San Antonio Spurs look like a playoff-caliber team after an impressive start to the season. Their additions of Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes through savvy moves have gotten them to their best record through 22 games in five years. Despite all the success, Paul, at 39, is clearly a stopgap measure. Stephon Castle looks […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":110747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,29,34],"tags":[49979,229,664,350,1102,141,1972,49264,4669,970],"class_list":["post-110691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-kings","category-spurs","tag-2024-25-nba-season","tag-chris-paul","tag-deaaron-fox","tag-demar-derozan","tag-domantas-sabonis","tag-harrison-barnes","tag-keldon-johnson","tag-stephon-castle","tag-victor-wembanyama","tag-zach-collins"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110691"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110691\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110748,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110691\/revisions\/110748"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}