This San Antonio Spurs star has high expectations heading into the new NBA season.
When the San Antonio Spurs swung a trade for De'Aaron Fox last February, it seemed like a bit of a head-scratcher. Why would the Spurs acquire a point guard with a questionable three-point shot when they already had Stephon Castle? Seems counterintuitive, doesn't it?
Then, the Spurs selected Dylan Harper in the NBA Draft, another guard with similar issues. And to put the icing on the cake, San Antonio handed Fox a max contract extension in August.
What exactly is San Antonio trying to achieve here?
Well, now that Fox has a huge deal and a rocky road ahead in terms of trying to establish himself as the alpha in the Spurs' backcourt, Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes has listed him among 10 players who have the most to prove heading into the 2025-26 campaign.
San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox. Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images."Nobody would have had an issue if San Antonio had played hardball in negotiations with Fox, or if it had simply passed on the opportunity to acquire him from the Sacramento Kings in the first place," Hughes wrote. "The Spurs effectively chose him as Wemby's [Victor Wembanyama's] first star teammate, a position that comes with outsized responsibilities."
In 17 games with San Antonio last season, Fox averaged 19.7 points, 6.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds over 34 minutes a night on 44.6/27.4/81.9 shooting splits. It should be noted that he only played five games with Wembanyama, who was knocked out for the year in mid-February as a result of a blood clot.
It's not that Fox isn't a good player. He is. The 27-year-old is two years removed from recording 26.6 points per game with the Sacramento Kings, and he owns lifetime averages of 21.5 points and 6.1 assists. But can he fit with Castle and Harper, and will he stunt their growth?
There seems to be a rather significant chance that one of Fox, Castle or Harper will be traded at some point, and just because Fox signed a lucrative long-term deal with the Spurs does not necessarily mean he is safe.
San Antonio is widely viewed as one of the top up-and-coming teams in basketball, so hopefully, the Spurs don't mess this up.