After months of speculation, the San Antonio Spurs and De'Aaron Fox finally agreed to terms on a max extension. While this deal was probably agreed to months in advance, August 3rd was the first day that it could be signed, with Shams Charania reporting that it's for the full max.
BREAKING: San Antonio Spurs star De'Aaron Fox has agreed to a four-year, $229 million maximum contract extension with the franchise, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told ESPN. The max deal secures Fox's future in San Antonio through the 2029-30 season. pic.twitter.com/vvCdMExAbt
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 4, 2025
Giving Fox a 4-year, $229 million extension was both the safest and, ironically, the most risky move the Spurs could make. Safe in the sense that they locked a 27-year-old star point guard up for five seasons, with the deal ending around the time most athletic guards decline.
Risky in the sense that paying Fox the max, in addition to Victor Wembanyama's pending max, means they will be paying their two best players a combined $100 million a season. If he is a worse version of the Sacramento Kings Fox, then that could come back to bite the Spurs.
Did the Spurs make the right decision extending Fox?
Extending Fox was the right call, assuming he is the same 22-point, 5-rebound, and 5-assist star we all expect him to be. That is definitely possible considering he managed to average 19.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists over the 17 games he played with the team last season, despite being injured.
Still, he doesn't scream second option on a potential dynasty ala Kobe Bryant to Shaquille O'Neal or Scottie Pippen to Michael Jordan.
Even so, I think Fox should be more than fine in that role. Second options aren't all the same. Technically Jason Terry was the second-best player on the 2011 Dallas Mavericks championship team, and he averaged just 15.8 points per game.
What matters more is how good the top player is. If Wembanyama is HIM, we're talking around 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks, then Fox being Fox would likely be more than enough to be a second option.
De'Aaron Fox is key to the Spurs' title hopes
The Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray pairing comes to mind. Jokic has been the best player in the league five years running, while Murray is very good and, in the playoffs, often great, making the Denver Nuggets perennial contenders.
Fox is a more consistent player than Murray, and Wembanyama will hopefully have an equally dominant run as Jokic had. That could put the Spurs in title contention every year over the life of Fox's extension.
If Steph Castle can make a big leap in year two and become a third option, San Antonio could even compete for a title as soon as next season. Then there is Dylan Harper, who has star potential and is on a rookie-scale contract for the next four seasons.
If San Antonio can make that trio of Fox, Harper, and Castle work alongside Wembanyama, then the team could have a stacked roster that can compete for years to come.