From 1999 when they won their first title to 2014 when they won their fifth, the San Antonio Spurs were the winningest North American sports team. Now the franchise finds itself in a six-year playoff drought, trying to find a way back to the summit.
They may have gotten a little closer to the top on Feb. 2, as the Spurs acquired all-star point guard De’Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings in a three-team deal, along with role player Jordan McLaughlin.
In return, Sacramento acquired Chicago Bulls’ guard Zach LaVine, Spurs’ guard Sidy Cissoko, three first-round draft picks and three second-round draft picks. The Spurs gave up Zach Collins and Tre Jones to the Bulls, along with Kevin Huerter and a first-round draft pick in return.
Tom Orsborn, a sportswriter at the San Antonio Express News who has covered the Spurs for nearly 40 years, expressed shock at how much the Spurs benefitted from the deal.
“They didn’t give up hardly anything,” Orsborn said. “They didn’t give up any of the coveted draft picks that they’ve acquired in recent years. The three first-round picks from Atlanta, mainly the unprotected pick this year.”
Crucially, the Spurs were able to hang on to their key role players, namely Devin Vassell and Rookie of the Year candidate Stephon Castle.
“Not to lose Vassell, Sochan, Keldon Johnson. It’s really remarkable that they were able to pull that off,” Orsborn said.
While the Spurs were able to limit the amount of high value assets they gave up, they certainly got one in return. Fox, who made the All-Star Game in 2023, could be a perfect partner with Victor Wembanyama for years to come.
“I think what this team struggles with are some of the things I can bring: some more self-creation outside of Vic, being able to touch the paint, being able to get into the teeth of the defense, being able to collapse defenses and also even in games where I haven’t played well I still command attention,” Fox said courtside before his first game as a Spur in Atlanta.
Combining the 7-foot-3 Wembanyama and the shifty Fox should give defenses headaches for years to come, particularly when the Spurs run the pick-and-roll.
The pick-and-roll is designed to create mismatches by forcing defensive players to quickly switch positions. Instead of teams risking a mismatch with someone much shorter guarding Wembanyama, Trinity men’s basketball coach Jimmy Smith instead said that defenses are more likely to opt to retreat towards the basket.
“In the NBA a lot of times they’ll do what’s called a drop coverage,” Smith said. “Instead of having to switch and rotate, they’ll come off and [the defender] will just drop, staying in front of the ball.”
Smith speculates that the Spurs acquiring Fox will help them exploit teams’ fear of Wembanyama by giving them more options.
“As the guy is dropping back, [Fox] is going to be able to either attack him or shoot the mid-range shot,” Smith said.
Additionally, if the coverage isn’t executed perfectly, it could leave Wemby open to receive a lob pass he can dunk. Fox’s offensive ability and Wemby’s height make it so there is no good way to guard this pair.
De’Aaron Fox represents the next step in the Spurs’ push to become a championship contender again. First, the Spurs won the 2023 draft lottery and selected Victor Wembanyama. Now, they’ve acquired his running mate for potentially the foreseeable future. The Spurs now seem to have a solid core in place.
It should be noted that Fox is only under contract for one more year after this season, but Orsborn believes that there is no reason to think Fox will reject an extension with the Spurs.
“Landing in a place he wanted to be, with a player like Victor Wembanyama … you’d have to ask yourself why he wouldn’t sign long term,” Orsborn said.
Now that the Spurs have their point guard for years to come, they can look ahead to the next step of their rebuild.
“What they’re looking for are pieces that will push them towards being a long-term contender. That’s always been their plan,” Orsborn said.
Early indications are strong that the Spurs found a major piece to their championship puzzle by getting Fox. What they will do next remains to be seen, but within a few years, the rafters of the Frost Bank Center may need an expansion.
