NBA Analyst Disapproves Of Spurs Extending De’Aaron Fox For $229 Million Max Deal

De’Aaron Fox, who joined the San Antonio Spurs ahead of the trade deadline in February, has now committed to a long-term future with the team. He signed a four-year contract worth a maximum of $229 million, a deal that most fans and analysts have praised. Kevin O’Connor, however, is one of the few who went against the grain. He argued that Fox’s skill set makes the deal less worthwhile.

Let’s take a look at Fox’s contract and what it means for San Antonio. He will make nearly $50 million per season, with over $60 million coming in the fourth year. The deal was arranged by Rich Paul of ‘Klutch Sports Group’, who also orchestrated Fox’s trade from Sacramento to the Spurs.

It’s a strong point guard addition to pair with Victor Wembanyama, as the two will form a dangerous pick-and-roll duo for years to come. Given that Fox is left-handed and Wembanyama is right-handed, it looks like a perfect fit. However, everyone is entitled to their opinion. And when O’Connor gave his, he didn’t shy away from harping on the Fox signing. 

“I don’t love this for the Spurs. Fox is not a max-level point guard on any team, and in San Antonio, he has overlapping skills with Castle and Harper,” O’Connor posted via X (formerly Twitter). 

It wasn’t an unfounded or bizarre claim. Fox’s scoring numbers did drop considerably to 19 points per game once he joined the Spurs. However, he consistently posted at least 23 points and 5.5 assists per game for six straight seasons with the Kings. That’s the kind of production most teams would gladly pay a max contract for.

Talking about “overlapping qualities,” it’s not like Stephon Castle’s production dropped once Fox arrived. It actually went up. He went from averaging 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists before the trade to 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists after. If anything, Castle and Fox have shown that their skills mesh well together so far.

Dylan Harper, the second-round pick of the 2025 Draft, may find it difficult to earn playing time behind the Spurs’ established backcourt pairing. But he looks very promising. Harper is incredibly athletic, with hops that can jump out of the gym. In college, he was highly efficient from the field and showed the ability to knock down threes. He’s a player with a high ceiling.

Taking all of this into consideration, it’s hard to get on board with KOC’s concerns. Harper is best suited to come off the bench in his first season. We have to remember that this Spurs team has aspirations to be good right now. It wouldn’t be smart to toss a 19-year-old with no NBA experience and very little college experience into a starting role right away.

That leaves Fox and Castle a runway to thrive in the starting lineup. Maybe concerns will start to arise if Harper is really good right away. But that would be a nice problem to have. This is about as good a setup as you’d want for a young roster.

Money-wise, the Fox deal shouldn’t be too big a problem either. His contract isn’t set to expire until the year after Castle’s first extended season, which will also be Harper’s first extension-eligible season. So things are set up according to plan.