The Spurs' trade for De'Aaron Fox is better than anyone could have imagined
Today at 10:24 PM
San Antonio didn't have to part ways with any of its core players or multiple of their best draft asset to get a star.
After days of rumors, De'Aaron Fox to San Antonio finally happened. The Spurs will pair the former All-Star point guard with Victor Wembanyama after acquiring him for a surprisingly reasonable price. ESPN's Shams Charania was the first to report it.
The Spurs sent out Tre Jones and Zach Collins to Chicago, along with the swap rights to the Bulls' 2025 first-round pick. They also sent Sidy Cissoko, the rights to Charlotte's 2025 first-round pick, San Antonio's 2027 first-rounder, and the Timberwolves' 2031 first-rounder, along with three second-rounders to Sacramento. The Kings also got Zach LaVine from the Bulls in the three-team trade and sent Kevin Huerter to Chicago and Jordan McLaughlin to San Antonio.
It's a big transaction that looks complex at first glance and seems good for all parties involved but especially favorable for the Spurs. Let's break it down.
The Spurs didn't have to part ways with their most valuable assets
The concern about a Fox trade was that the Spurs would have to lose someone from their core or include multiple of their most valuable picks to get it done. They did neither, which is fantastic work by the front office. First, let's look at the outgoing players. Jones was playing a reduced role, as Chris Paul was getting most of the point guard minutes and Stephon Castle was getting reps as the main ball handler. Zach Collins was out of the rotation entirely due to his struggles on defense and his contract, which extends one year past this season, was starting to look ugly. Sidy Cissoko was a gamble that hadn't paid off, as the young, überathletic wing couldn't develop a consistent shot in his one-and-a-half seasons in the league. The Spurs should be able to play the same rotation they had when everyone was healthy but with De'Aaron Fox getting most of Chris Paul's minutes and Paul getting all of Tre Jones'.
On the talent front, the Spurs ended up with a clear upgrade at point guard and their entire core still in place. Normally to pull that off, the picks included would have to be blue-chip assets, but that wasn't the case this time. San Antonio had the rights to first-rounders from Chicago and Charlotte in 2025 but in reality, it's unlikely either would have been conveyed in this upcoming draft because of protections. The Bulls' pick was top-eight protected and the Hornets' pick was top-14 protected and turning into two second-rounders if not conveyed this year. The Spurs' 2027 pick that the Kings are getting should not be a high pick, considering the team made a major upgrade and has Victor Wembanyama in tow. The more valuable of the picks is arguably the Timberwolves' 2031 first-rounder that San Antonio got by trading the eighth overall selection in the past draft, but the Spurs have swap rights with the Wolves in 2030 and with the Kings in 2031, so they could still pick highly in the middle of Wemby's prime.
The Spurs gave up a lot of picks in total, as they sent out four first-rounders and three second-rounders. But two of these firsts were unlikely to convey, one should not be highly valuable and the other could be, but the Silver and Black still have future assets that mitigate the loss. As for the seconds, San Antonio still has extra after the trade. It's hard to imagine a better but still realistic deal.
The Bulls and Kings could benefit from the trade but mostly saved face
The Bulls getting their own pick back is big for them as they embark on a rebuild. They can start right away without having to worry about owing anyone any of their future picks. They should also be able to flip Huerter, who they got from the Kings, and will likely trade other veterans for picks. The trade gives them a direction. That said, they essentially moved LaVine to undo the overpay they made when they traded for DeMar DeRozan. The rest is salary filler. It's entirely possible there weren't better offers for LaVine out there and controlling their picks was more important to them than getting any from other franchises, but this is simply not great value for Chicago. Especially since they could have likely traded LaVine sooner for a lot more if they had pulled the plug on their current core a year or two ago.
For the Kings, getting a borderline All-Star to replace the one they lost is a win. The franchise didn't want to rebuild and now they don't have to. The loss in talent is not major and LaVine is under contract for two years after this one, assuming he picks up his massive player option. They also got three first-rounders and three seconds, which looks great on paper. In practice, they got two firsts and five seconds because of the Hornets' pick conditions. As mentioned, the Spurs 2027 first doesn't seem like a great asset. Unless the Silver and Black suffer massive, untimely injuries two years from now, the pick probably won't be in the lottery. The Timberwolves pick could be extremely valuable, as Anthony Edwards's current contract expires in 2029 and he might not stay with the franchise, but the Wolves have an incentive to avoid a rebuild around that time since they also don't control their 2030 pick.
The Spurs didn't fleece the Bulls and Kings but seem to have gotten a fantastic deal while the others got some good assets and the ability to spin the trade as better than it is.
The Spurs still have enough to make another move to chase the play-in
Fox should make the Spurs better, but the trade deadline is still ahead and the Spurs could make more moves since they kept their core players and enough draft capital to at least upgrade their bench. They are currently two games back from the 10th spot and are a good backup center away from having a genuinely good 10-man rotation.
There's no need to go all-in this season, but now that they made their big move without using too many assets, it would make sense to shore up weaknesses and see how well this group can play together. There could be some fun days ahead.
