MEMPHIS — The buzz surrounding San Antonio’s trade for point guard De’Aaron Fox cut through the grogginess and morning chill Monday at the team’s shootaround.
As Spurs star center Victor Wembanyama heaved one-legged 3-pointers from the wing, general manager Brian Wright found a seat courtside. Under the basket, acting Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson sat with Harrison Barnes to pick his brain about Fox, who was his teammate for six seasons in Sacramento.
“Even when there’s so much talk about Victor, the timeline, winning and development and this evolution that we’ve all gone through, sometimes this league dictates the capacity or opportunity at which you can do that in the big picture,” Johnson said. “When you add a player like De’Aaron Fox and you already have a strong foundation, there will be opinions and expectations that come with that, what that means, what the timeline is. We’ll get into that, but we will not shy away from the reality of adding good players and things that come with that.”
San Antonio officially acquired Fox on Monday as part of a three-team trade involving multiple players and draft picks, giving the Spurs an All-Star guard and clutch performer in Fox to pair next to a generational talent in Wembanyama, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year who is set to make his All-Star debut later this month. Wright and San Antonio’s brass pulled off the deal without surrendering veteran Chris Paul, Barnes or any prized young prospects such as rookie guard Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan or Keldon Johnson.
In Fox, the Spurs add a speedy downhill scorer who ranks fourth in total points when shooting off drives this season. San Antonio also now features a potentially unstoppable pick-and-roll combination with Fox and Wembanyama. According to Second Spectrum data, Fox has averaged 1.13 points per direct pick as the ballhandler on pick-and-rolls, sixth best in the NBA. Wembanyama, meanwhile, has averaged 1.16 points per direct pick as the screener on pick-and-rolls, second in the league.
Fox, 27, is averaging 25.0 points, 6.1 assists and 5.0 rebounds and has ranked in the top three each of the past three seasons in clutch time field goals. The Spurs are 9-11 in clutch time games.
“Who do you stop between those two?” Vassell asked just as shootaround wrapped up. “I think we’re going to play a lot faster and we’re going to be out in transition a lot. I think it’s just going to open up a lot with Fox being our point guard. Him and Wemby on the screen and roll? Then you have me and [Julian] Champagnie and certain shooters around. It’s going to be an exciting offense, and I think defensively we’re going to be able to get after people, too. I know Fox likes to pick up full court and kind of change the pace of the game. He’s going to help us on both ends.”
That’s precisely what Barnes was explaining to Johnson as shootaround commenced.
After their conversation, Barnes laughed when asked whether he and Johnson were already devising schemes to feature the club’s new acquisition.
“It’s always good to just share knowledge,” Barnes said. “Obviously, [Johnson] has a perspective as a competitor playing against him. I have the experience of being a teammate with him. So [it’s all about] blending that in. … It’s gonna all come together. That’s the thing with the NBA: things change quickly, and you have to be able to adjust and adapt. I think we’re ready for that.”
The Spurs have lost six of their past nine games entering Monday’s outing at Memphis and are 12th in the Western Conference. The addition of Fox means one of San Antonio’s regular starters will likely be relegated to a bench role.
Johnson said Paul and Fox can co-exist in the starting lineup. If the Spurs go that direction, Castle will become a reserve after starting in 29 games as a rookie.
“The basketball speaks for itself. He’s an elite point guard, elite player in this league, dynamic scorer. He’s a great person, a family man, a Texas kid. More importantly, I think he’s a high-character individual. One of the things I was most impressed with when I first came [to San Antonio] was everybody being high character in this organization from the top down. I think he fits that mold. I think the best is yet to come for him.”
Fox is expected join the team in Atlanta ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Hawks, according to sources, who added it’s still to be determined whether the point guard will make his Spurs debut then.
“I know the trade’s been announced by all teams, but you still just need to get all those i’s dotted and t’s crossed,” Johnson said. “If there is an opportunity for De’Aaron and Jordan [McLaughlin] to meet us in Atlanta and be ready to go, then they’ll be ready to go. They’re in the season. There’s no concern of ramping up, conditioning or whatnot.
“We know there will be a runway of learning our program and terminology. There will be some patience and some excitement on both sides from the group here waiting on them and then joining the group. It’ll just be something we work through and trying to expedite as much as possible without having a ton of practice time.”
That’s not a concern for Barnes, who said the “basketball part will be easy” in Fox’s transition to San Antonio, after spending the entirety of his eight-year career leading the Kings.
“The basketball speaks for itself,” Barnes said. “He’s an elite point guard, elite player in this league, dynamic scorer. He’s a great person, a family man, a Texas kid. More importantly, I think he’s a high-character individual. One of the things I was most impressed with when I first came [to San Antonio] was everybody being high character in this organization from the top down. I think he fits that mold. I think the best is yet to come for him.”
Meanwhile, in Sacramento, Kings interim coach Doug Christie understood all too well what Fox experienced Monday, having also been traded midseason by Sacramento, where he spent the majority of his playing career.
“Ever since the first time I saw him play, (I) was a big time fan, and this doesn’t change anything as far as always rooting for him,” Christie said before Monday’s game against Minnesota. “I told him as much.”
The trade was yet another shakeup after coach Mike Brown’s firing for a team battling to make the Western Conference playoffs. Christie said he had conversations with a few of the team’s younger players about navigating the business side of trades.
“I wanted to let them know that I’m here for you, your teammates are here for you,” Christie said. “That’s part of what this is. You’re not out there all alone.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: espn.com