Should The Spurs Shut Down De’Aaron Fox For The Season?

The San Antonio Spurs made a big splash at the trade deadline when they acquired De’Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings. They had a record of 21-25 at the time, and had hopes of climbing back into the playoff race with their new addition. But things have changed drastically over the last three weeks, and the team should consider shutting Fox down for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign.

Spurs Are Reeling After Loss Of Wembanyama

The sample size was small, but the Spurs didn’t click immediately with Fox in the lineup. They went 2-3 in the five games leading up to the All-Star break, and it was clear that the team would need some time to adjust to having the newcomer on the floor. There was, and still is, plenty of hope that the acquisition would pay dividends down the road, but rising into playoff contention this year was becoming increasingly far-fetched.

Things took a turn for the worst last week. It was announced on Thursday that budding superstar center Victor Wembanyama would miss the remainder of the season due to blood clotting in his shoulder. The concern is focused on the long-term health of the franchise’s centerpiece, as the ailment could turn out to be a serious one, but it all but ended any hope of climbing into the top-10 this season.

Would be interesting if the Spurs immediately had Fox get season ending finger surgery to get him 100% healthy while maxing out their draft position

— Carmichael Dave (@CarmichaelDave) February 3, 2025

San Antonio rallied to defeat the Suns just hours after the news dropped, but have since lost back-to-back games to the Pistons and Pelicans by a combined 33 points.

Fox Has Been Dealing With A Hand Injury All Season

With the team’s hopes fading, it may be time for them to consider shutting Fox down for the rest of the year. Before being traded to the Spurs, the speedy point guard had been dealing with an injured finger for months. It looked like he suffered a sprain or break of some kind early in the Sacramento Kings’ season, and has been playing with the finger heavily taped since then.

He hasn’t blamed the ailment for anything, but there have been games in which it appears to be a culprit for tough shooting nights. In San Antonio’s most recent game against the Pelicans, Fox shot an abysmal 3 of 16 from the floor, with 6 of his 13 points coming from the free throw line. He has never been considered to be a knock-down shooter by any means, but he is making three pointers at a 31% clip since joining the Spurs, which would be his lowest mark since the 2021-22 season.

If they were to pull the plug on his season, De’Aaron Fox would be able to get a head start on the surgery that likely awaits him this off-season. It would allow him to get back on the court sooner, and essentially guarantee that he would be ready and fully healthy by the start of the 2025-26 campaign.

The Spurs are currently 24-31 and are in 12th place in the West. They are 3.5 games back of the 10th and final playoff spot in the West. Five of their next seven games will be played on the road, and they have contests against the Rockets, Grizzlies, Thunder, and Timberwolves in that span.