The San Antonio Spurs gave De'Aaron Fox a maximum contract over the summer, and despite it being an overpay, the immediate success has been worth it.
The idea of "regret" doesn’t land the same way when you’re sitting near the top of the NBA standings.
That’s what makes Bleacher Report's recent criticism of the Spurs’ decision to hand De’Aaron Fox a four-year, $229 million extension feel a bit off. In their recent piece, they outline every NBA team's biggest regret this season, but picking one for the Spurs is probably a bit difficult.
"Castle and Harper showed so much promise this season that it wouldn't be a shock if Fox was the team's third-most productive guard as soon as next year," BR's Grant Hughes writes. "Even if it's true that all three can play together, and even if Fox remains a highly effective starter, San Antonio devoted major resources to someone who ultimately won't produce like a superstar and is likely to feel duplicative very soon. If they got a do-over, there's no way the Spurs would max out Fox."
The argument itself is easy to understand: it’s a huge financial commitment to a player who might not even be the long-term centerpiece of the backcourt, especially with Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper rapidly developing.
In a vacuum, that raises fair questions. Castle and Harper both showed flashes of real upside this season, enough to spark legitimate excitement about what they could become.
But the Spurs aren’t building in a vacuum—they’re building from a position of strength.
This is one of the best teams in basketball right now. When a team is winning at this level, decisions look different. They’re less about perfect long-term efficiency and more about maximizing a championship window that’s already open.
Fox plays a significant role in that. Even if the younger guards continue to rise, having a proven, high-level creator in the mix gives San Antonio a layer of stability and versatility that most contenders actively seek out.
Yes, the price tag is steep. There’s no getting around that. But elite teams often have contracts that look heavy on paper. That’s the cost of keeping talent in-house and maintaining continuity at a high level.
You can debate whether Fox is worth every dollar. What’s harder to debate is what the Spurs have become with him in the fold.