De’Aaron Fox and the San Antonio Spurs have agreed to a four-year maximum extension worth as much as $229 million, his agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, confirmed to The Athletic. The deal includes no options, a team source said, and the move lines up the former All-Star guard’s contract for the rest of the decade alongside emerging superstar Victor Wembanyama.
The Spurs acquired Fox from the Sacramento Kings at the trade deadline in February, but both Fox and Wembanyama missed significant time and only played five games together. At the time, the Spurs believed they had found an ideal pick-and-roll partner for their 7-foot-3 center, as Fox is adept at getting downhill to draw attention away from a center who can pop to shoot it or roll to the basket. Fox averaged just 19.7 points in 17 games with San Antonio last season before having season-ending surgery on his left pinkie finger.
The Spurs acquired Fox three months before they won the second pick in the draft lottery and selected point guard Dylan Harper out of Rutgers, creating a potential logjam in the backcourt.
Now the team has Harper, Fox and rookie of the year Stephon Castle, three downhill attacking guards who don’t shoot the ball well. The Harper selection made pivoting off Fox more plausible, as Fox turns 28 in December while Wembanyama, Castle and Harper are all under 21 years old. The Spurs’ roster has some veteran leadership from wing Harrison Barnes and offseason acquisitions Luke Kornet and Kelly Olynyk, while the rest of the supporting cast is in its early to mid-20s.
With Fox now under contract for the rest of his prime, the Spurs are in position to compete as early as this season while the young core develops, similar to how the Boston Celtics developed current stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as the supporting cast alongside veterans Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker and Al Horford.
Though there have been widespread calls for the Spurs to make more aggressive win-now moves around Wembanyama as soon as possible, the team took a more conservative approach this summer after acquiring Fox in February. With Wembanyama returning from a blood clot that ended his season at the All-Star break, the team may proceed with caution on making any moves that could eliminate long-term flexibility. Extending Fox presents a middle ground, as he is young enough to remain valuable throughout his contract.
San Antonio has Fox, Harper, Devin Vassell, Kornet and rookie Carter Bryant signed through the 2028-29 season, with Wembanayma eligible for a max extension before next season and Castle extension-eligible two years from now.
(Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
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