De'Aaron Fox is already in the first year of a max contract with the San Antonio Spurs, but that doesn't mean he has to stay put for the long haul. With the Spurs now rolling out Fox alongside Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle, the math gets messy fast. San Antonio can't realistically pay all three and Victor Wembanyama over time, which is why moving Fox at some point this season has become a conversation worth having.
If Fox opens the year strong, that only sharpens the market around him. And if the Spurs decide to explore it before the trade deadline, there are a few deals that could make sense on paper.
The most dramatic one sends Fox to the Houston Rockets, even if the optics would be awkward given the rivalry. The logic is simple: Houston needs a point guard upgrade, and it has enough trade flexibility to make a Fox deal work.
The cleanest version would be a straight swap for Kevin Durant. Durant may not be the easiest star to embrace, but he still brings elite scoring, and that matters for a Spurs team trying to ease the pressure on Wembanyama.
There’s also the contract angle. Durant can become a free agent after this season, while Fox is just getting underway on a five-year max deal. That difference alone gives the Spurs a reason to think hard if Durant ever became available.
Another possible route has Fox headed to the New Orleans Pelicans. That framework would involve the Pelicans sending Trey Murphy III and former Spurs all-star Dejounte Murray to San Antonio, with Fox going the other way along with potentially two first-round picks and two second-rounders. It’s the kind of package that would sting to give up, especially with draft capital involved, but the return would be substantial.
In that setup, the Spurs would get an athletic wing scorer who can give you 20 points a night, a capable defender, and an experienced backup creator in Murray. It would also let Harper and Castle move into the starting backcourt, while giving San Antonio a cleaner long-term financial picture by moving off Fox’s max contract.
Then there’s a more unusual idea involving Darius Garland. The Los Angeles Clippers, after being hammered by the NBA because of salary cap convention, may have to get creative as they reshape their roster. One way that could happen is by moving Garland for Fox and taking back two first-round picks.
Garland is coming off a down season after struggling to stay healthy, but his contract only has two years left on it. For the Spurs, that makes this a different kind of swing.
They could send out Fox and two first-round picks to land Garland, then let him rebuild his value in San Antonio and potentially flip him again later. It’s not the simplest option, but it’s one that gives the Spurs another path if they want more flexibility.
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Castle already has the Rookie of the Year hardware from 2024-25, Harper landed on the All-Rookie first team, and Bryant is expected to take another step in his second season. For a franchise that has made no secret of its long-term approach, this kind of roster housekeeping matters because it shows the Spurs are not just collecting prospects, they are committing to a core they believe can grow together. [Read more 🡒]