San Antonio Spurs point guard De’Aaron Fox reflected on his future with the team after they lost in the NBA Finals.
Despite entering the series as the betting favorites, Fox and the Spurs lost 4-1 to the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals after a 94-90 loss at home in Game 5 on Saturday night.
Once again, Fox bore the brunt of criticism from fans after his poor performance in the must-win game, as he shot just 3-15 from the field, scoring 7 points when his team needed him the most.
This comes after a Game 4 blunder where Fox went for a layup with 15 seconds left when he should have dribbled the ball and waited for the Knicks to foul him instead.
Fox’s poor play in must-win situations has led to Spurs fans everywhere calling for him to be salary-dumped this offseason. But if it’s up to Fox, he’ll be staying with San Antonio for the long haul.
De’Aaron Fox Speaks on Future With Spurs
Speaking to reporters following the Spurs’ Game 5 loss at Frost Bank Center, Fox spoke about his future with the Spurs. Here’s what he said, as he alluded to sticking around the Spurs going forward.
“Continue to work together, continue to get better, obviously as individuals and as a team. Our first time really going through something like this. It’s definitely something to build off of. Obviously, champions are made before you win a championship,” Fox said.
Since Fox does not have a no-trade clause in his contract, he would have no say in the matter if the Spurs attempted to deal him this offseason. But if it’s up to him, he will be sticking around San Antonio and trying to make another deep playoff run to the NBA Finals again next year.
De’Aaron Fox’s Contract Has Negative Value
When Fox forced his way off the Sacramento Kings at last year’s NBA trade deadline, the Spurs knew they had to give him a max contract to keep him in town long term.
San Antonio did just that when they inked Fox to a four-year, $229 million contract extension that kicks in for the 2026-27 season.
While Fox is a good player, he is not a max-contract player, and his inconsistent postseason play proved that.
The Spurs may try to look around the league this offseason and see what they can get in a trade for him. While he is a good player, he is not worth the nearly $60 million a season he will be getting paid for the next four seasons, and the Spurs may try to move off that money if they can.
It will be interesting to see what sort of trade market is out there for Fox. Again, he’s a solid point guard who was an All-Star this season. But he is prone to up-and-down play, and that’s not something you want to see from a max-contract player.
Look for the Spurs to shop Fox on the trade market this summer, but ultimately, he will likely get his wish and return to the team next season, as his contract is not easily tradeable at this point.
De’Aaron Fox Reflects on His Future With the San Antonio Spurs