The San Antonio Spurs are rolling, but they still may have to make a significant trade to reach their fullest potential.
The San Antonio Spurs have been one of the best teams in basketball in the early stages of the 2025-26 NBA campaign, having gone 5-0 to start the season.
Victor Wembanyama has been playing like an MVP candidate, Stephon Castle already looks improved from his Rookie of the Year showing and first-year guard Dylan Harper has been absolutely brilliant off the bench.
But here's the problem: De'Aaron Fox has not played yet due to a hamstring injury, and his imminent return could throw a massive wrench into the Spurs' plans.
Head coach Mitch Johnson will have to try to find a way to work Fox into the lineup without disrupting San Antonio's electrifying backcourt, one that also includes Devin Vassell in addition to Castle and Harper. But that will be exceedingly difficult.
Fox is not a role player. Two years ago, he averaged 26.6 points per game. He has posted over 20 points per game in six straight seasons. He made an All-Star team in 2022-23. Ergo, forcing him to share the ball with Castle, Harper and Vassell will be a trying exercise.
San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox. Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images.Further compounding the problem is that all three of Fox, Castle and Harper struggle with their perimeter shot, so it will make for some awkward floor spacing. We saw that last year with Fox and Castle, which resulted in Fox logging 19.7 points a night on 44.6/27.4/81.9 shooting splits in 17 games with the Spurs after coming over in the trade with the Sacramento Kings.
Fox's return may leave San Antonio with no choice but to eventually trade him.
Ask yourself this question: do the Spurs really need Fox moving forward? Castle is already a stud. Harper looks to be that, as well. And because of how good Castle and Harper have been, many have forgotten about Vassell, a former lottery pick himself.
San Antonio's decision to trade for Fox last February was always strange. Its choice to then sign him to a $229 million contract extension — a pact that will take Fox through 2030 — over the summer (after drafting Harper, mind you) was even stranger.
It doesn't make the University of Kentucky product untradeable, though. Because Fox possesses the ability to play both ends of the floor (although his defense is certainly inconsistent), there would almost certainly be some teams around the league amenable to taking on his contract.
Fox does turn 28 years old in December, but he will still be a rather manageable 32 by the end of the deal, which isn't terrible. The issue, though is that Fox has a rather checkered injury history, which could absolutely scare rival teams away (just like it should have scared the Spurs).
Perhaps I'm wrong. Maybe Fox will return and will seamlessly fit into the lineup without stunting the growth of San Antonio's young guards. But I just have a hard time seeing that happen.
The more you watch the Spurs, the more you wonder what in the world they were thinking with Fox.