​Through the first two rounds, the San Antonio Spurs’ run to the NBA Finals proved to be fueled by a standout performance from De’Aaron Fox. Across the series against the Portland Trail Blazers and the Minnesota Timberwolves, the two-time All-Star average 18.8 points and 5.8 assists per game, while shooting 46.2% from the floor and 34.6% from beyond the arc. But then came the Western Conference Finals, and although the Spurs toppled the reigning-champion Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games, Fox began to slow down. His pace slowed to a crawl once the NBA Finals tipped off, and while Dylan Harper delivered what might be the best Finals showing by a rookie since Magic Johnson, questions were raised about Fox’s long-term fit in San Antonio.
One lingering issue: Fox’s contract. He is owed $221.7 million over the next four years, a figure that makes a hypothetical trade feel unlikely for San Antonio’s rivals, even if the Spurs attached future assets. So when Fox lands at No. 4 on Bleacher Report’s Dave Favale’s ranking of the eight worst contracts in the NBA, the justification is straightforward. Favale notes that the aging curve of Fox’s skill set is worrisome and that athletic decline has already begun. “His free-throw attempts per 100 possessions have dipped year over year since 2022-23, and he’s taken at least 25 percent of his looks at the rim only once over the past half-decade,” Favale writes. And on the sport’s biggest stage, Fox failed to elevate his play; instead of serving as a co-star to Wembanyama, he became a player San Antonio found increasingly difficult to rely on as the series wore on.
Luckily for the Spurs, their core remains remarkably young—and thus affordable for the moment. Victor Wembanyama just signed a $252 million extension (a deal that is still favorable given the market), but Harper and Stephon Castle still have time before new contracts loom. San Antonio also locked up its top perimeter option, Julian Champagnie, on a three-year, $45 million deal. So, while it makes sense for head coach Mitch Johnson and the Spurs to explore an alternative role for Fox for now, there appears to be little chance he’ll be traded in the near term. If the media can spot the flaws in Fox’s current contract, NBA front offices can surely recognize them as well.
Perhaps Fox could rebuild the value he lost during the Finals with a strong 2026-27 regular season, but until he reminds everyone of the player he used to be, labeling his contract among the league’s worst remains a fair assessment. The NBA landscape continues to watch closely as Wembanyama’s presence in San Antonio — alongside Harper, Castle, and Champagnie — shapes the team’s trajectory and Fox’s role within it.