Grades: Spurs Land De’Aaron Fox in Three-Team Trade

De’Aaron Fox is now a member of the San Antonio Spurs (Photo via X)

The talk of De’Aaron Fox getting traded to the San Antonio Spurs got louder by the day. On Sunday, the rumors became a reality when the star guard got dealt in a three-team trade that included the Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls.

From San Antonio’s perspective, the most important detail of the trade is who the team didn’t have to part with in order to land Fox. The Spurs didn’t have to trade Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan or Keldon Johnson. While the Spurs had to deal away a haul of draft picks, they were even able to hold onto their most valuable future picks. 

Spurs Received
De’Aaron Fox
Jordan McLaughlin

Spurs Sent Away
Zach Collins
Tre Jones
Sidy Cissoko
2025 Chicago Bulls Protected First Round Pick 
2025 Charlotte Hornets Protected First Round Pick
2027 San Antonio Spurs First Round Pick
2031 Minnesota Timberwolves First Round Pick
2025 Chicago Bulls Second Round Pick
2028 Denver Nuggets Second Round Pick

Grade: A

How Did This Trade Happen?

The worst kept secret in the league recently was that De’Aaron Fox wanted to play for the Spurs. The 27-year-old grew up in Texas and his wife is from San Antonio. Basketball-wise, Victor Wembanyama is a very tall selling point for Fox. Being the Frenchman’s right-hand man going forward was undoubtedly an exciting proposition.

With Fox becoming a free agent after next season, the Kings felt pressure to trade him. Sacramento decided to act now. The Kings were able to obtain Zach LaVine from the Bulls and a collection of picks from the Spurs.

De’Aaron Fox’s Fit in San Antonio

Fox is a 6-foot-3, 185-pound point guard who can really score the ball. He’s a potent scorer in pick-and-rolls, which should instantly make him a dangerous partner for Wembanyama. 

Fox’s best trait as a basketball player is his speed. He’s a blur in the open court and it’s almost impossible to stay in front of him in the halfcourt. Fox can finish with athleticism at the rim, score with precision in the mid-range and has range out to the three-point line.

Not only is Fox averaging 25.0 points this season, he has a history of thriving in late-game situations. He’ll lighten the scoring load for everyone else on the Spurs and provide the team with a go-to scorer in the clutch.

Passing-wise, Fox holds his own. He’s not a high-level playmaker but he averages 6.1 assists per game and passes well enough to run an offense. 

Defensively, Fox can sometimes be inattentive but he averages 5.0 rebounds per game and led the NBA in steals per game last season. He has the physical tools to at least be average on that end.

At 27, Fox should have a handful of prime years left in the tank. During that time, he’ll give Wembanyama a top-tier point guard to help run the show. Wembanyama is clearly good enough already to be the best player on a playoff team and the addition of Fox is a step forward for the Spurs when it comes to pushing for a spot in the postseason. 

What the Spurs Gave Up for De’Aaron Fox

Zach Collins has negative value because of the $18 million he’s due next season. The backup center lost his job and had become an expensive deep bench piece. 

While Tre Jones had a good run with the Spurs after being selected in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft, his future with the team appeared to be heading to an end. He averaged only 16.1 minutes per game this season and would have been outside of the rotation after the acquisition of Fox. Jones’ lack of perimeter shooting made him a poor fit for Wembanyama going forward.

Sidy Cissoko had shown some promise but he was hitting just 21.3% of his three-point attempts in the G League this season, which really put his future in the NBA in doubt.

Of the first round picks, the 2025 first rounder from the Hornets won’t convey and will instead turn into a pair of second round picks. The 2025 first rounder for the Bulls had a top ten protection on it this year and a top eight protection the following two years. Thus, it’s possible that the pick from the Bulls would have never conveyed either.

By far the two most valuable assets the Spurs gave up in this trade were their own 2027 first rounder and the 2031 first rounder from Minnesota. Reports indicate that both of those picks are unprotected.

But, again, the Spurs were able to pull off the trade without giving away any of their young, up-and-coming players. They were also to hold onto their 2025 first rounder and the two unprotected picks coming from the Atlanta Hawks in 2025 and 2027. 

Possible Downsides to the Trade

First of all, it’s always risky to trade away unprotected first round draft picks. The Spurs obviously hope their 2027 first rounder will be a pick in the 20s — but you never know. The 2031 first rounder from the Timberwolves is impossible to project but it’s so far away that it’s current value isn’t especially high.

I don’t see any downsides in losing Collins, Jones or Cissoko. Collins had lost his job to Charles Bassey and Sandro Mamukelashvili. Dumping his contract was a win. Jones was a solid player but his lack of shooting or scoring instincts made him an awkward fit. Cissoko simply never shot straight enough to make himself a legit NBA prospect.

As far as Fox is concerned, I don’t love that he’s a below average three-point shooter. While his volume is acceptable (6.4 attempts per game this season), he has shot just 32.2% during the 2024-25 campaign and is just 33.3% from deep for his career. In a perfect world, the Spurs would surround Wembanyama with high-end shooters.

Fox can also fall asleep on defense and his passing is rarely anything to get too excited about.

Overall Thoughts on the De’Aaron Fox Trade

While Fox isn’t the perfect player, he’s damn good. It’s fair to say he’s a top 25 player in the NBA. The pairing with Wembanyama is clean. He’ll bring devastating speed to the court that will be even more deadly when he’s sharing the court with Wembanyama. The one-two scoring punch between these two players will be impactful right away.

All in all, I have no complaints. A top 25 player wanted to come to San Antonio so the Spurs sent some of their draft capital away to get it done. Wembanyama now has a 27-year-old point guard to grow with for the next five-plus seasons. They have compatible skillsets and both players rise up during crunch time.

The Spurs still need another star to truly become a championship contender. They may be able to find that star in the draft — hell, he could already be on the roster. Alternatively, the Spurs have enough pieces in their war chest to acquire that star via trade at some point.

Another exciting aspect of this trade to me is it proves that San Antonio’s front office is actually willing to go star hunting. I loved the idea of accumulating draft picks but I wasn’t sure that the front office would ever pull the trigger on a trade like this. Now that Fox is on board, I’m more confident than ever that the Spurs will do what it takes to put a championship-level squad around Wembanyama.