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The San Antonio Spurs trade for De'Aaron Fox brought about a prediction or two of what it would mean for not only the team but perhaps for the NBA's Western Conference playoff picture. But the anticipation of watching Fox paired with Victor Wembanyama has dissipated since the generational talent's season came to an end.
The Spurs won their first game after the franchise announced Wemby had been diagnosed with blood clots in his right shoulder. Since that performance vs. the Phoenix Suns, the Silver and Black have dropped the next four. Each loss came away from San Antonio, with two – including the win vs. the Suns – in Austin, Texas, where the franchise now annually holds a pair of home games.
Because of the change of course in just a couple of weeks, here are three bold predictions following the bombshell trade with the Sacramento Kings.
De'Aaron Fox's scoring will decrease
Only once since 2019-2020 has Fox averaged less than 25 points per game. It will happen again this season.
The 2023 NBA All-Star was averaging exactly 25 points per contest this season at the time of the trade. He's averaged 19.6 in his first ten outings with the Spurs. More noteworthy is how much more his scoring has dropped since Wembanyama's injury. He scored at least 22 in four of the five games in which he teamed with the generational talent. Over his last five, he's topped that same mark just twice, including sub-16-point performances in each of the three contests before a match-up with the Memphis Grizzlies. His seven points at the Houston Rockets represented a low while wearing Silver and Black.
Expect the trend to continue with the 7-foot-5 phenom out of the line-up. Foes can key in on Fox like they would on Wembanyama before his arrival. Unlike Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan in Sacramento, the Spurs don't have guys who can consistently create great opportunities for themselves or others at this point in their careers.
The Spurs will continue to lose
In dropping four of their first five games after the NBA All-Star Game, the Spurs continued a troublesome trend. San Antonio lost 13 of 18 games before the break. That was with Wembanyama playing.
Including a date with the Grizzlies on the first day of March, the Spurs face a stretch of seven games in which six opponents are in the playoff picture – not just the Play-In hunt, but solidly among the top eight in the Western Conference. In late March and early April, San Antonio will face the top team in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers, twice. They'll also host the defending champion Boston Celtics and face other top squads like the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks.
The Spurs will shut down De'Aaron Fox
Fox is dealing with a banged-up pinky on his shooting hand. He's dealt with it virtually the entire season and was ready to play through alongside Wemby. He still might finish the year out.
But following a loss to the Detroit Pistons in the team's second game since the Wemby news, Fox answered that he wasn't sure if treatment on the finger would come before the season ends.
De’Aaron Fox tonight
Asked by @mikefinger about his finger. De’Aaron has been dealing with a nagging injury to his left pinkie
When Mike followed up with whether it could be taken care of before the season ends…
“I’m not sure yet”
Full context⬇️#Spurs #GoSpursGo #PorVida pic.twitter.com/6HM3Wqb5th
— Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) February 22, 2025
If the Spurs continue to sputter out of Play-in contention, expect the franchise to focus on the finger more than on-court results.
