Spurs Shock NBA with Colossal $229 Million Bet on De’Aaron Fox—Is This the Franchise’s Game-Changer?

San Antonio is a patient organization and coach Mitch Johnson is expected to spend this season figuring out how Fox, Harper and reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle fit together — and especially how they mesh with Wembanyama. The expectation around the league has been that the Spurs will eventually have to move on from at least one of their guard trio (trading one or two for wing players), although this Fox contract ends right when Harper’s second contract would kick in, so the timing may work out. Fox, especially if his numbers dip, will be challenging to trade on this new contract. Wembanyama can sign an extension after next season, and it would kick in for the 2027-28 season.

San Antonio’s basketball playground just got a whole lot more intriguing. Picture this: the Spurs snatch up the coveted No. 2 draft pick and lock in Dylan Harper, a promising point guard, setting the stage for some serious front-office chess moves. There was chatter—lots of it—wondering if San Antonio would hold the line on De’Aaron Fox’s contract talks after snagging him mid-season in a blockbuster trade. But nope, they went all in, sealing a four-year max deal that’s nothing short of jaw-dropping, potentially topping out at 9 million. It’s a move that screams confidence in Fox’s future impact, keeping him tied to the Spurs through 2030. From Fox’s rocky end in Sacramento, questioning his team’s competitive grit, to his hotly anticipated pairing with the phenomenal Victor Wembanyama, the journey has been anything but dull. Sure, injuries and adjustments have slowed the momentum, but the Spurs are playing the long game here—patiently weaving together a backcourt puzzle with Fox, Harper, and rookie Stephon Castle under the watchful eye of coach Mitch Johnson. The road ahead is filled with tough calls, trades possibly on the horizon, and a contract timeline that might just sync up perfectly for the Spurs’ evolving roster. The Fox trade could turn into one of those rare, franchise-defining moments—if he brings the magic on the floor that this record-setting contract demands. LEARN MOREThe Spurs traded for Fox at the deadline in a massive three-team deal (which included Zach LaVine to the Kings) after Fox’s representatives reportedly told Sacramento management he would not sign an extension with the team, partially due to frustration with the firing of coach Mike Brown (and Fox getting some blame for that online). Fox had previously questioned if the Kings were committed to “competing at a high level.”The Spurs and Fox agreed to a four-year max contract that could be worth up to 9 million, his agent Rich Paul told ESPN’s Shams Charania, then the team itself confirmed a few hours later. (The actual total for the contract likely be closer to 2.4 million, the 9 million figure is based on the salary cap going up 10% next year, while the NBA projects it will rise by 7%.) This is a straight four, with no options for the player or team, and kicks in for the 2026-27 season, keeping Fox under contract until the summer of 2030.No, they paid him the max.So far, the trade from Sacramento to San Antonio has worked out as well as Fox hoped. Now he needs to earn that money on the court.

San Antonio was Fox’s preferred landing spot, giving him the chance to pair up with Victor Wembanyama on a team building a contender. However, Wembanyama and Fox only played five games together before the French center was out for the season due to blood clots in his shoulder (from which his now cleared). Fox averaged 19.7 points per game, shooting 27.4% on 3-pointers — both numbers well below his career averages — in 17 games before ending his season in March to undergo finger surgery. When the basketball gods handed San Antonio the No. 2 pick and the chance to draft highly-touted point guard Dylan Harper, there were questions in other front offices if the Spurs might play hardball in negotiations with De’Aaron Fox and not give him the max that was expected after a mid-season trade for the former All-Star.