The Spurs and point guard De’Aaron Fox have reached an agreement on a four-year, maximum-salary extension, agent Rich Paul tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Fox will earn just over $37MM in 2025/26, with his new deal taking effect next July and running through ’29/30. It will feature a starting salary worth 30% of the ’26/27 cap.
Based on the NBA’s latest projection of a 7% increase, Fox’s four-year contract would be worth a total of $222.4MM over four seasons. If the cap rises by the maximum allowable 10% next year, the value of Fox’s deal would be $228.6MM. The contract doesn’t include a fourth-year player option or a trade kicker, notes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
The fifth overall pick in 2017, Fox spent his first seven-and-a-half NBA seasons in Sacramento, where he quickly established himself as the Kings’ starting point guard and a rising star. Fox’s best season came in 2022/23, when he earned his first All-Star berth, made the All-NBA third team, and was named Clutch Player of the Year after averaging 25.0 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game for a Kings team that won 48 games.
However, as Fox neared the end of the rookie scale extension he signed in 2020, he was hesitant to finalize another contract with the Kings, expressing reservations about the team’s ability to contend for a championship.
Word broke in late January that the Kings, with no indications from Fox that he had interest in a long-term deal, were expected to entertain trading him and that San Antonio was his preferred landing spot. Less than a week later, the 27-year-old was dealt to the Spurs in a blockbuster three-team trade that sent Zach LaVine from Chicago to Sacramento.
More to come…