De'Aaron Fox made sure the Sacramento Kings knew the only team he wanted to be traded to was the San Antonio Spurs.
In December of 2025, De'Aaron Fox went to the Sacramento Kings' front office. He had a realization and a request. First, he realized that the magic the Kings captured during their 2022-23 "Beam Team" season was lost, and he would not be making the postseason as a King anytime soon. His request? Trade him to the San Antonio Spurs.
It didn't take an NBA genius to see that the Spurs were building, and fast. Victor Wembanyama was ahead of schedule, Stephon Castle was the best rookie in the NBA, and there was a solid crew of role players already in town. Fox thought he was the missing link, and even though he and Wembanyama both missed the end of last season, the future was bright.
Now, in his first full season in San Antonio, Fox isn't the clear-cut number two option behind Wembanyama. Castle, Dylan Harper, and Devin Vassell have all carried more than their fair share on offense, but Fox has been the steady hand in the backcourt.
Even though he isn't posting gaudy numbers, he's finally on a team with very real title hopes. That right there is why he picked the Spurs, and it's all paying off.
De'Aaron Fox Only Has One Thing Left To Do
At this rate, Fox will probably not be a Hall of Famer. He's in the middle of a great career and is certainly a star player, but thanks to his lack of team success, "legend" just doesn't sound right.
With the Spurs, he's hoping he can rewrite his identity. Known as a pest on defense and one of the best downhill players in the league, he wants to be known as a winner more than anything.
"I've been All-NBA," he said. "I've been an All-Star. The last thing I think is that there is to win a championship, and I think we have a good shot at it. We want to take this one day at a time, one game at a time."
Fox and his Beam Team Kings lost to the Golden State Warriors in the first round. Still, his seven postseason games make him a "veteran" on the Spurs' inexperienced roster, and the younger players are turning to him for leadership.
"You've got to win four games and then move on to the next one, so we take it one step at a time," he summed up.
Fox might be eclipsed by Castle and Harper as "Wemby's running mate of the future," but for now, his role in San Antonio is solid as a rock. The only thing left to do is go get a ring.