The San Antonio Spurs have made the widely expected acquisition of De’Aaron Fox in a three-team trade with the Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls, sending Zach LaVine and two first-round picks to the Kings and multiple mid-range contracts with one first-round pick to the Bulls.
This trade sets up the foundation for building a contender around Victor Wembanyama. If Wembanyama is their new Tim Duncan, they’re hoping Fox can be his Tony Parker, with the duo together spending the next decade writing another illustrious chapter of Spurs history. San Antonio retained all their core pieces and have a roster that could cause troubles as soon as this season.
Let’s take a look at the Spurs new starting five and how they’re well-positioned to shock the Western Conference.
Starting Lineup
Starters: De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, Victor Wembanyama
The Spurs will promptly insert Fox into the team’s starting five as their starting point guard ahead of the 40-year-old Chris Paul. While Paul has been perfectly decent as the Spurs’ starting point guard, he will be phased out of their five to accommodate Fox’s combination of ball-handling, scoring, and defense.Â
He’s averaging 25.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.1 assists this season and will be a lethal left-handed complement to the right-handed Wembanyama.
Stephon Castle will retain his position as the starting two-guard, giving the Spurs a formidable backcourt. Fox is a decent defender and excellent scorer while Castle is an excellent defender and a streaky scorer. Devin Vassell might be an undersized small forward but his 3-and-D abilities are second-to-none on this roster.Â
Jeremy Sochan’s development as a point forward will likely end with Fox’s addition, but his ability to be a multi-positional defender who can match up against almost anyone in the NBA is crucial.Â
None of this makes sense if the man in the middle isn’t Victor Wembanyama. This move sets him up with a co-star entering his prime who understands that this is Wemby’s franchise. He will be set up by a legitimate point guard at all times on the court, whether it’s Fox or Paul.Â
The Spurs’ patience went out the door when they found out Fox was available and wanted to join them. Now, they have a locked-in star guard who wants to help Wembanyama get better and win more championships for San Antonio. The overall youth of these five might restrict them from contention this season, but this team has etched its name into perennial contention in the NBA.
Reserves
Chris Paul, Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes, Malaki Branham, Julian Champagnie, Blake Wesley, Jordan McLaughlin, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Charles Bassey, Harrison Ingram (Two-Way), David Duke Jr. (Two-Way), Riley Minix (Two-Way)
The Spurs bench is a mix of valuable veterans, streaky scorers, and young stars with potential upside. The team’s proverbial sixth man will be Chris Paul, who will elevate the general level of the bench offense to ensure the role-players around him can be maximized. These role-players include the likes of Harrison Barnes and Keldon Johnson, both players who have looked great while sharing the court with Paul.
Julian Champagnie might be their most versatile bench option, as the swingman can be deployed across multiple positions and can be relied upon to convert open shots. He also has had great moments in lineups where Paul is the lead playmaker, so this bench unit could be its own beast in many ways. Players will move up and down the lineup, but Paul’s ability to orchestrate the offense and conserve energy as a backup should bode well for other bench players.
Jordan McLaughlin is an interesting acquisition in this deal, as he likely serves as insurance if Paul is hurt or underperforming. Sandro Mamukelashvili has had great moments in the Spurs frontcourt this season and is a great shooting option to rely upon off the bench.
Young stars like Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley will have to fight to consolidate their positions on the roster. The Spurs have an abundance of guards and potential offensive difference-makers, so this young duo will have to find a way to break through and show the Spurs they carry win-now potential to be given minutes.
This also unlocks a lot more opportunity for Charles Bassey, who has looked great in moments in his first season back from an ACL tear. With Zach Collins gone, the team will rely on Bassey a lot more to cover up for Wembanyama who often finds himself on minutes restrictions or missing games out of concern for his durability.
The Spurs are set up to win now but they’re even better-equipped to be a bonafide contender from next season onward. There might be more moves brewing to potentially add more size in the backup positions, but the Spurs have found their core and will hope this can result in another championship-laden decade.
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