Spurs Shake Up the West: De’Aaron Fox Trade Turns Pretender into Contender
Well, well, well….what a difference a week makes. Just last week the Spurs season was teetering on the brink of collapse as they sat on the outside looking in at a playoff play-in berth in the Western Conference.
That all changed Sunday with the stroke of a pen when it was announced that the Silver and Black had acquired All-NBA point guard De’Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings via a three team deal.
Now, I have never given the Spurs front office much credit, in my opinion they’re all a bunch of f-ing idiots, especially when it comes to free agency as historically they’ve been pretty bad. The Spurs way has always been built on player development through the draft;(Dave, Tim, Tony, Manu, Kawhi, and most recently VDub), are all examples. When it comes to free agency however, their performance has been less than stellar over the years (remember LaMarcus Aldridge).
With the addition of De’Aaron Fox however the Spurs go from pretender to contender….IMMEDIATELY.
In his seventh season; all with the Kings, Fox comes to the Rivercity averaging 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists while shooting 47% from the field. He is also the only player this season to put up 60 points in a game.
Coupled with VDubs 25 points and 11 boards the Spurs will have as formidable a duo as any squad in the Association. As a matter of fact, the Spurs instantly become one of three teams with a duo averaging 25 points apiece along with the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns. When you throw rookie guard Stephon Castle into the mix you really have the makings of a young core that can grow together, and more importantly, win championships. The key will be how said front office will keep them together. Fox has one year remaining on his current deal while both VDub and Castle are still under their rookie contracts.
The deal which involves the Spurs, Bulls, and Kings sends both Tre Jones and Zach Collins to Chicago and Sidy Cissoko to Sacramento. In addition, the Spurs received 5th year guard Jordan McLaughlin from the Kings as well. The team is guard heavy so I fully expect McLaughlin to be used as a trade asset down the line.
The move could not come at a better time as the team began its annual Rodeo Road trip in Memphis Monday night. The team dropped that game 128-109, with Fox unavailable for the contest. The Silver and Black went 1-8 in last season’s Rodeo Road trip.
My uncle Jay who’s a former Pro himself insists to me EVERY season that there’s going to be a parade on the Riverwalk, and I tell him unfortunately you probably won’t be alive to see the next one. Well Uncle Jay just might get his wish after all thanks to a bumbling front office that got it right this time.
Buckle up Spurs fans, shit just got REAL in the city.
Upcoming Games:
Wed, Feb 5 @ (9)Atlanta (23-27) 6pm
ESPN
Fri, Feb 7 @ (14)Charlotte (12-35) 6pm
Sat, Feb 8 @ (8)Orlando (24-27) 6pm
Mon, Feb 10 @ (15)Washington(8-41)
6pm
