Although the San Antonio Spurs has won five NBA championships, they have never had a start to a an NBA season like they are having now. French star Victor Wembanyama has led the team to its first 5-0 start in franchise history. It’s a testament to how good Wembanyama has been that the Spurs haven’t even needed the services of De’Aaron Fox. Although the smart choice would be to wait for the All-Star guard to rejoin the team, former NBA champion Paul Pierce believes there’s no better time than now to part ways.
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When the Spurs traded for De’Aaron Fox, they expressed belief that he would be their franchise point guard for now and the future. Unfortunately, Fox and Wembanyama have only played five games together. This season had seemed to be the ideal runway for the two to flourish as a duo.
But then they landed the second overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft in Dylan Harper. All of a sudden, the team has a surplus of guards, all capable and deserving of major minutes. This is a good problem to have, but Pierce already has a solution for this issue.
“I like what I’m seeing from young Harper. I like what I’m seeing from young Vassell. Now I just need somebody out there who can protect Wemby a little bit more. I think Fox can be that piece in a trade,” Pierce said on Ticket & The Truth.
Pierce may have mentioned Harper and Devin Vassell, but reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle is another guard worthy of minutes. Obviously, once Fox is healthy, he’ll return to the starting lineup with ease. Developing the young talent should be the Spurs’ main priority.
As a result, Pierce believes some extra depth in the front court will help drastically. He points toward Nikola Vucevic and Lauri Markkanen as potential targets. His co-host, Kevin Garnett, doesn’t quite have the same outlook on the Spurs though.
“So having De’Aaron Fox be a better point guard in there ain’t going to help the development of that?” Garnett asked. Pierce quickly responded by saying, “He can help them, but he’s not at the stage where he could just be in the locker room giving them game. He’s still in his prime.”
The Spurs understood the logjam they would have at the guard position. Nonetheless, they still gave Fox a four-year $223 million extension in August. They have shown commitment to the 27-year-old. Unless all crashes and burns once he returns to the team, it seems like Fox will be on the Spurs for the foreseeable future.
