Aside from the Los Angeles Lakers-Dallas Mavericks deal, the San Antonio Spurs‘ acquisition of De’Aaron Fox from a three-team deal with the Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls is just as impactful. The Spurs have given Victor Wembanyama an established star as his running mate in the tough Western Conference.
Many other clubs did not want San Antonio to get Fox, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. Amick included the Oklahoma City Thunder as one of the teams. However, the deal pushed through, ending the eight-year stint of the one-time All-Star in Sacramento.
On Wednesday, the NBA Insider spoke about the recent deal on his appearance at FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back.”
“OKC didn’t want this happening,” Amick said. “Teams were hoping the Fox thing wouldn’t happen for sure.
De’Aaron Fox is ready to debut on his new team and Spurs fans like @MichelleDBeadle are still celebrating! 🥳
However, the Kings and Thunder (like the rest of the NBA) do not share San Antonio’s excitement for the arrival of Wemby’s newest teammate. 😣 pic.twitter.com/VC5uGQm1Zu
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) February 5, 2025
Amick continued discussing the Kings’ predicament and expressed “frustration” with Sacramento’s management for their handling of the Fox deal.
“There’s a lot of frustration, I think, within the Kings. I think a lot of their players are — it’s obviously nothing against Zach LaVine, he’s a fantastic player. And really, player for player, you filled the De’Aaron Fox void to an extent. But in terms of the long-term plan and the questions of, ‘Why would you not get more to take us to a new level?’ There’s confusion there.
Now that he’s playing for the Spurs, Amick believes Fox is comfortable with where he is. The insider believes the Spurs have what it takes to contend for a championship with their newly acquired point guard and All-Star center.
“I think he’s (Fox) he’s very, very comfortable with the idea that, ‘I can be a number two or number three or a two-A on a championship team.’ I think that’s where his head is at. I think maybe that happens.”
Fox helped the Spurs get a narrow win in his debut against the Hawks
Fox played his first game for the Spurs on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks. The All-Star’s production helped San Antonio capture a tight 126-125 win. The 6-foot-3, speedy guard, who started the game with veteran star Chris Paul, finished the game with 24 points and 13 assists. He also secured five rebounds and three steals.
In the first quarter, Fox felt rejuvenated as they held a 10-point lead against Atlanta. The former Kings star had six points and three assists in the opening quarter.
“It feels great,” the 27-year-old said. “Playing with all these young guys, one, they make me feel old. But then, we come out here and they’re all dunking and I feel like I’m young again.”
"Playing with all these young guys, they make me feel old… but then they're all dunking and I feel young again."
De'Aaron Fox after his 1st quarter with the @spurs 😆 pic.twitter.com/bUtLCA5kPm
— NBA (@NBA) February 6, 2025
Fans can watch Fox in action on Friday against the Charlotte Hornets in the Spurs’ third of their six-game road trip.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
