Spurs Handing De’Aaron Fox $229 Million Confuses Fans: “They Just Got Dylan Harper Tho?”

San Antonio Spurs traded for De'Aaron Fox last season to make him the veteran co-star to French big man Victor Wembanyama.

Spurs Handing De’Aaron Fox $229 Million Confuses Fans: “They Just Got Dylan Harper Tho?”

Spurs hand De'Aaron Fox $229 million deal (Image via FirstSportz)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

The San Antonio Spurs are moving forward with their focus set on the younger core. Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and De’Aaron Fox make up the core trio, flanked by some other young players.

Of their current provisional roster for the upcoming season, there are 7 players aged 27 and above. The rest are all younger, which indicates that the franchise is looking to compete with its young core in mind. Of the older players, only recent signing Luke Kornet, along with roster holdovers Harrison Barnes and Fox, are projected to play significant minutes either as a starter or off the bench.

Except for Cornet, all those older players will be free agents after this season. Again, that is an indication of a desire to focus on the younger players. That was until ESPN’s NBA Insider Shams Charania came up with an update.

San Antonio Spurs star De’Aaron Fox has agreed to a four-year, $229 million maximum contract extension with the franchise, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told ESPN. The max deal secures Fox’s future in San Antonio through the 2029-30 season.

Shams Charania wrote on X

This contract means that Fox will remain with the franchise until the 2029-30 season. On paper, it looks sensible as he would be the prime veteran to lead the team, after they moved on from Chris Paul after last season.

This could also mean that De’Aaron Fox continues to be their primary point guard as they move Castle to the shooting guard spot, a role he is more comfortable playing.

De’Aaron Fox’s deal baffles basketball fans

That is not the opinion basketball fans had the moment notification of this trade hit their phones. For starters, this deal means that the 27-year-old would earn a yearly average salary of $57.25 million.

That is more than what the Los Angeles Lakers gave Luka Doncic for staying with the franchise. If anything, fans cannot believe that Fox is worthy enough to be paid higher than the Slovenian superstar.

Secondly, they brought up the fact that the San Antonio Spurs drafted Dylan Harper, who plays the exact same role as De’Aaron Fox. This extension will probably stunt the development of the second overall pick, as he will be forced to play second fiddle. Check out examples of those reactions below:

After Chris Paul‘s departure, basketball fans felt that the San Antonio Spurs were about to embark on a dynastic run centered around their youth. But this contract extension raises more questions than answers.

De’Aaron Fox could be the vet the Spurs youngsters need

When the San Antonio Spurs signed Chris Paul, everyone cheered the news, as he was the perfect veteran to guide Victor Wembanyama and his young teammates. However, they were also aware that the 40-year-old had slowed down.

Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox
Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox (Image via NBA/X)

When compared to the speedy and athletic players on that roster, Paul looked like the odd one. With De’Aaron Fox, there is a chance that he does not end up looking like that. The 6′ 3″ guard has the pace and the smarts to get around defenses.

That should make him the perfect veteran to be around those younger players. Currently, he is not that much older than they are and would be the perfect sounding board for a team looking to break through.

Now, all that is left to do is to ensure Wembanyama and the rest of the roster stay healthy enough to start competing for a playoff spot. They will go up against formidable teams in the West and will need to step up their game next season.

Also Read: