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The San Antonio Spurs explored the possibility of acquiring Atlanta Hawks star guard Trae Young before ultimately landing De’Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings, according to senior NBA insider Chris Haynes.
“Before the San Antonio Spurs made the move for De’Aaron Fox, they were considering De’Aaron and they were considering Trae Young,” Haynes said Thursday on NBA TV. “But with the way that the Spurs are set up right now – they’re not set up to start tying to win games and contend now. So, there was never really a hurry to bring in an established point guard to move on to the next phase. But De’Aaron Fox kinda fell in their lap and he picked them as the sole team he wanted to play with. So they chose him… it was a much easier route to get De’Aaron but Trae Young was on the San Antonio Spurs radar.”
Spurs land De'Aaron Fox instead of pushing for Trae Young
San Antonio secured Fox in a three-team trade with the Kings and the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night. As part of the deal, the Spurs acquired Fox and Jordan McLaughlin, while the Kings received Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, three first-round picks (2025 CHA, 2027 SAS, 2031 MIN), and three second-round picks (2025 CHI, 2028 DEN, 2028 SAC). The Bulls landed Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, and their 2025 first-round pick via San Antonio.
Fox is earning $34.8 million this season and is set to make $37 million next season as part of the five-year, $163 million extension he signed with Sacramento in 2020.
C. Haynes reporting the Spurs wanted Trae Young /had him on their radar until pivoted to D. Fox #nba #porvida #sanantonio pic.twitter.com/FrNietGbFU
— JeffGSpursKENS5 (@JeffGSpursZone) February 6, 2025
The decision to trade for Fox came as a more straightforward option for the Spurs, as the All-Star guard reportedly prioritized San Antonio as his preferred destination. Meanwhile, Young remains in Atlanta, where his future with the Hawks remains uncertain amid ongoing trade speculation.
Fox delivers in debut against Young’s Hawks
Fox made his Spurs debut Wednesday night against the Hawks, leading San Antonio to a 126-125 victory. The 27-year-old guard made an immediate impact, recording 24 points, 13 assists, five rebounds, and three steals.
Young, 26, put up a strong performance for Atlanta with 32 points, 12 assists, two rebounds, and a steal. On the season, Young is averaging 23.2 points, a career-high 11.5 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 40.6% from the field and 34.1% from three across 47 games.
Fox, is also having a standout season, averaging 25 points, 6.3 assists, five rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 47% from the field and 32.2% from beyond the arc across 46 games.
Young is earning $43 million this season and holds a $48.9 million player option for the 2026-27 season. With San Antonio choosing Fox, Atlanta may revisit trade discussions involving Young in the offseason.
For now, the Spurs have their point guard of the future in Fox, while Young’s status with the Hawks remains one of the biggest storylines leading into the offseason.
