The San Antonio Spurs’ acquisition of De’Aaron Fox was one of the biggest moves of the trade deadline. The Spurs parted with a haul that included several first-round picks to snag the All-Star point guard, so it’s no secret that the franchise views him as a long-term piece. With just one more year under his current contract, there’s little doubt that the Spurs will try to extend Fox when the time comes.
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Marc Stein underlined how Victor Wembanyama’s season-ending condition could complicate Fox’s extension talks, though. With such a small sample size seeing their two stars on the court together, the Spurs won’t be able to truly gauge how well the 27-year-old fits alongside Wemby.
“The expectation remains that the Spurs and Fox will come to sort of a new contract agreement this summer,” Stein said on the ALL NBA Podcast. “You don’t trade for a player like that if you’re not looking to sign him. But to your point, they’re gonna have to do it without really seeing how this looks.”
San Antonio would have had nearly 30 games to judge the partnership of their new duo, but Wembanyama’s condition will make Fox the focal point of the team for the remainder of the season. Still, Stein isn’t concerned about the team’s desire to re-sign the former Kings playmaker. Nor is he worried that Fox would leave his new team after demanding out of Sacramento.
Even with a healthy Wemby, the Spurs went just 2-3 when he did play alongside Fox. The Spurs are just 24-30 and 12th in the Western Conference, an unremarkable improvement over last year, considering the expectations.
Their season has been headed in the wrong direction for a while now, despite Wembanyama’s rise to superstardom.
The Spurs will have to wait at least one more year for a postseason return
The Spurs were already a long way to claw their way back in the West’s playoff picture, but with Wemby sidelined for the foreseeable future, the franchise will need to adjust their expectations for this season. San Antonio may have thought that adding De’Aaron Fox would help push the team back into play-in contention, but the eight-year veteran can’t do it alone.
With their position in the standings possibly set in stone, the Spurs will have to set their sights on next season. The team should have a stronger cast surrounding the franchise’s two stars and will be able to add another top pick in the upcoming draft, as well.
San Antonio’s 2024-25 season may be over, but the team has a real shot to make their postseason return next year.
