SAN ANTONIO — The rumor mill is buzzing about a potential San Antonio Spurs-De’Aaron Fox deal.
In case you missed it, Kings guard De’Aaron Fox would prefer to be traded to the Spurs, according to a report by Sacramento’s ESPN 1320’s James Ham.
“According to multiple sources, if De’Aaron Fox leaves the Kings via trade, his preferred landing spot is the San Antonio Spurs. It could be an interesting couple of days in Sacramento,” he posted on X.
The Spurs-Fox trade rumors popped up again when ESPN’s Shams Charnia stated that the Kings are ready to discuss potential deals involving the All-Star guard ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline.
However, what will it take for the Kings to agree to a deal to send Fox to San Antonio?
A lot, and what the Spurs currently have to offer (players and multiple draft picks) is not enough, in the opinion of Sacramento’s sports radio station, ESPN 1320.
The hosts discussed the Spurs and opined that players such as Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell, and Stephon Castle, plus any draft picks San Antonio might offer, would not be enough to push the Kings into trading Fox.
“It can’t be for picks. San Antonio, right now, they can offer picks and they might have other picks from other people,” the host said. “The players they have to offer are flat out role players. Jeremy Sochan he might be a starter and Devin Vassell might be a starter. Castle might be a starter. Not any of those guys are guaranteed to be in your starting five two years from now. None of them.”
“They don’t have All-Star potential… there isn’t a player there that has that type of potential.”
The hosts pointed out that Vassell and Sochan would be nice additions to the Kings, but they believed that’s not enough to make a deal. They even looked at a potential mega deal to get Donovan Mitchell, but that didn’t completely sway them into believing Sacramento should deal with the Spurs.
Fox recently declined a three-year, $165 million extension from the Kings, and his current contract ends in the summer of 2026.
Pairing Fox (27 years old) with Victor Wembanyama would be an incredible force for the Spurs, and the team can afford to add him to the roster with their financial cap flexibility.
In addition, he could see San Antonio as a chance to return to Texas.
Fox, who played high school basketball in Katy, TX, grew up a fan of franchise great Manu Ginobili, and his wife is from San Antonio, attending Johnson High School.
“San Antonio is not too far from where I grew up,” said Fox in 2019. “Manu (Ginobili) is great. I grew up in Texas, and the Spurs went to the playoffs every single year since I was born. I definitely saw a lot of Manu, and just the influence that he’s had on not only basketball in Argentina, but America, Texas, San Antonio.”
Whether multiple picks and some players from the current San Antonio will be enough for Sacramento is an open question. You can expect the Kings to want a significant return, but with Fox holding the cards in any potential deal, perhaps the Kings will need some wiggle room to get a deal done now and avoid him entering free agency, leaving the team with nothing in return.
Check out the Locked On Spurs roundtable chat for an in-depth discussion on the latest Spurs-Fox rumors.