https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6117566/2025/02/07/nba-trade-deadline-review-lakers-mavericks/I have some minor questions about Fox as a player, and I'm not convinced he would be a tremendous value for most teams on the three-year, $165 million contract he's eligible to sign this summer. But on the Spurs? This is a great situation, and I think Fox has a chance to become an All-NBA player again.
Fox showed what he's capable of in his opener for the Spurs, scoring 24 points and dishing out 13 assists on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks. His game blends splendidly with Victor Wembanyama's particular set of skills. The best player type to pair with a pick-and-pop or trailer 3-point-shooting center, in my opinion, is one who consistently gets paint touches with speed and draws help and/or drop-coverage defenders toward him. The Spurs were 24th in the NBA in drives per game before Fox's acquisition. This season, only five players are averaging more drives per game than Fox. Having him around is going to make Wembanyama's life as a shooter so much easier. The Spurs have also generally tried to play at a fast pace this season despite being led by Chris Paul, who has been known for domineering half-court-based offensive play. With Fox, they're going to be able to get up and down and create even easier attempts, something the league's 16th-best offense could use.
Defensively, Fox tends to play a bit overaggressive in a way that can at times lead to breakdowns. He can do that now, and instead of Domantas Sabonis backing him up, he'll have the league's best rim protector. This duo should have serious synergy together.
The price tag here for the Spurs was paltry for a player of Fox's talent. They shared the cost of the Spurs acquiring Fox by sending Zach LaVine to Sacramento and giving the Bulls their own first-round pick back for this season, a selection that was in serious jeopardy of never conferring to San Antonio within the next three years and thus turning into second-round picks. They also sent Sacramento the 2031 first-round pick they acquired from Minnesota last year at the draft, their own 2027 first-round pick, a lottery protected first-round pick from Charlotte this year that will convert to two seconds when the Hornets inevitably miss the playoffs and three other second-round picks.
If that doesn't seem like a lot, that's because it isn't. This was really strong work from San Antonio, and the Spurs have their second star next to Wembanyama.
