The Spurs’ deal for De’Aaron Fox is the weekend blockbuster that should have the West’s attention

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In the wake of the Los Angeles Lakers’ stunning trade for Luka Dončić, a deal involving Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox may seem tame in comparison. But by Sunday’s end it might also have set the San Antonio Spurs up for greater long-term success in the Western Conference than the Dallas Mavericks.

The Spurs successfully paired Fox, a recent All-NBA selection on the precipice of his prime, with Victor Wembanyama, their 21-year-old generational talent. Until the Dončić deal took the basketball world by surprise, Fox was the market’s best available floor general in the days before Thursday’s trade deadline.

Had San Antonio known Dončić was available, it might have moved earth, moon and stars — the Alamo even — to get him. As it was, though, the Spurs scored Fox, who averaged 25 points (47/32/83 shooting splits), 6.1 assists, 5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 37 minutes over 45 games for Sacramento this season.

And it cost San Antonio a small haul: Tre Jones, Zach Collins, Sidy Cissoko, four first-round draft picks and a pair of second-round picks. It might sound like a lot in juxtaposition to the Dončić deal, but it did little to impact the Spurs’ core. They retained their top eight in minutes played, including Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan — all players Sacramento might have targeted in return for their All-Star.

Instead the Kings landed Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls in the three-way trade, finally securing someone they first signed to a failed qualifying offer in 2018. They will be an interesting team, though they did nothing to address their defensive woes, which currently rate them at a below-average level.

In San Antonio, they do not need to worry about defense. They have Wembanyama, a 7-foot-5 windmill on wheels, the greatest defensive center since … Hakeem Olajuwon? The Spurs somehow have a slightly worse defensive rating on the whole this season than the Kings, but we trust them to figure this out.

And isn’t that what this deal is all about? We trust the Spurs to figure this out, to surround Wembanyama with championship-caliber talent, especially while he is still…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/the-spurs-deal-for-deaaron-fox-is-the-weekend-blockbuster-that-should-have-the-wests-attention-042525239.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2025-02-03 04:25:00

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