De’Aaron Fox to the Heat is Closer Than You Think | Miami’s New Plan After Luka’s Extension

De’Aaron Fox to the Heat is Closer Than You Think | Miami’s New Plan After Luka’s Extension

I’ve been talking for a while on this channel about how free agency is dead in today’s NBA. And I never really agreed with the Heat’s master plan, if you can even call it that, to save cap space for 2026. Because of course, the pipe dream for next off season that we were all hoping for was Luca Donuch. And y’all know me, I try to be optimistic at times. And I’m a guy who likes to have some fun, maybe try to justify why something that will never happen might just happen. So, I’m sitting here thinking, hey, maybe Luca won’t stay with the Lakers, right? I mean, why would he want to stay on a team that has an aging LeBron James who is ready to retire soon? Although this season I did see that FanDuel has the Lakers with the seventh best odds to win the championship at plus,700. I don’t necessarily agree with that because I don’t think the Lakers will be a great team. I think they’re a little bit too topheavy and not really a way to get out of that. So I could have seen Luca not wanting to sign that extension with them and I could have seen him saying, “Hey, I’ll come to Miami, another nice big city. You know, the Heat still have a good relationship with Goran Dragic. They could have hired him in some sort of front office role. And we all know how close Luca and Goron are. Goran was literally Luca’s mentor since he was a child. So, I could have seen it happen. You know, I was trying to be optimistic and say, “Hey, dreams can come true.” Well, let me teach y’all a lesson, especially to the kids that may be watching this video. Dreams do not come true. Never. especially if you’re a Miami Heat fan, because yesterday it was announced that Luca Donis did indeed sign an extension with the Lakers. It was a three-year $165 million extension, which only comes to about $55 million a year, which doesn’t sound like that much in terms of NBA money when you think about guys like Shay and Jaylen Brown getting like 70 plus millions a year, but I guess it has to do with the whole Supermax thing and being traded. Although Shay was traded, so I don’t know how it works, but Luca’s getting $55 million a year. Good for him. And of course, that means that the Luca to Miami Dream is officially dead. So, now that the Luca Dream is dead, that begs the question, what is next for the Miami Heat? Particularly when it comes to 2026 free agency. So, what I did is I pulled up the list of free agents for next off season. You could see that there’s some interesting names here, but most of them do have player options, meaning that they may not actually be free agents until 2027. The one guy that I am really interested in here is Trey Young. I kind of always thought his fit with the Miami Heat would be pretty good, but we know the Hawks made some pretty nice additions this off season and it remains to be seen how successful a year they will have because if they are better like we kind of expect them to be, I do think Trey Young will opt into that player option or either opt out and resign for more money with the Hawks. I just don’t really think he’ll be available. So, what I did is I ended up filtering out all the guys with player options or team options. And I just wanted to look at the guys who will definitely be free agents next off seasonason as it stands right now. And if you look at the list, you see LeBron, you see Kevin Durant, you got De’arren Fox, and then there is a huge drop off into a couple of unks like CJ McCollum, Chris Middleton, and I’m really not interested in any of the other guys that are below him. So, starting from the top, I mean, LeBron’s been rumored about the Miami Heats. Maybe he’ll get traded. Maybe he’ll sign somewhere else next off seasonason. But we’ve talked about him at length. Of course, you’re not in on Kevin Durant after you weren’t able to trade for him. I’m sure he’ll sign an extension with the Rockets very soon. But then you have De’aran Fox, someone who definitely does catch my mind as he does for a lot of Heat fans and he has for quite a long time. Of course, he’s a good player. He’s at a position of need. He can be that true point guard and he’s very close with Bamea. Of course, those guys went to Kentucky together. So, we’ve talked about Fox before on this channel. The last time that he had a video dedicated to him was actually 6 months ago now. And that was in a video I titled Darren Fox trade now happening soon. Miami Heat and Spurs listed as suitors. So, that was a pretty good call by me because Fox did end up getting traded pretty soon and we all know that he went to the Spurs. And also, what I actually said in that video was pretty true as well. But that’s just the reality of the situation. like Luca Donic waiting for him to enter free agency. That’s just a pipe dream. So, of course, I was right. Every single thing I said in that video was right because I’m never wrong about anything. The the Mavericks will throw the super super super Max. They’re going to make up a supermax just to make sure Luca Donis does not walk out of that building. Okay, maybe I was wrong about some things, but can you blame me? Who the hell thought Luca was ever going to leave the Mavericks? I couldn’t have predicted that Nico Harrison would be a bigger bum than Joe Cronin. But also, that maybe wasn’t the only wrong thing I said in that video because I did also say this. Even a guy like Darren Fox, okay, he doesn’t want to sign an extension right now, but the Kings will trade him. Somebody will trade for him and that team more than likely will then be able to sign him to an extension. So, yes, Fox did get traded, but as of today, he is extension eligible, and that still hasn’t happened yet. Now, it very well could happen later today. It could happen 30 seconds from now while I’m recording this video, meaning this entire thing would be irrelevant. But I’m not so sure that’s actually going to happen because earlier this week, NBA cap expert Bobby Marx wrote a very interesting article on why the Spurs should be cautious when signing Darren Fox to a max contract extension. He writes that Fox is eligible for a 4-year extension similar to Luca Donuch where he’d be getting between 49 and $51 million per year starting in the 2026 season. That season is also the last year of Wimyama’s rookie contract before he’ll make his max money the following season in 2027. That means that starting in 2027 through at least 2030, the Spurs would have two max players under contract. Also, during that time frame, they would have to account for some likely pretty big extensions for Stfan Castle and Dylan Harper, too. So, what Bobby Marks questions is whether Fox is really worth that max contract and the financial burden that he would put on the Spurs. Bobby Markx doesn’t seem to think so. He seems to be a bit hesitant, but honestly, I think Fox is worth that money. To me, a max player is someone who can be productive on both sides of the ball, both offensively and defensively. And De’Arren Fox is that. We know he’s a very capable scorer, but he’s also an elite point of attack defender and plays very well on the perimeter. I also believe that a Max player should be able to perform in the postseason. And while yes, Darren Fox has only made the postseason one time. He lost in seven games to the Golden State Warriors back in 2023, but in those seven games, he did average a very impressive 27 points per game, eight assists, five rebounds, and two steals. One of the things that Bobby Marks pointed out is that in the regular season last year, Fox had a big drop off in production after he was traded to the Spurs. Because with the Kings he averaged about 25 a nights and that went all the way down to under 20 with the Spurs. But I look at it like hey he played 17 injury riddled games after he was traded to the Spurs in which he was trying to learn a brand new system after being with the Kings for the first seven years of his career. So I can’t really blame him for the decrease in production. What I like to look at is the full season prior in 2023 24 where he had a very impressive 26 points per game, six assists, five rebounds, literally led the league in steals with two a night and then did all of that while shooting a very efficient 47% from the field and 37% from three on eight attempts. That is just great three-point shooting from De’Aran Fox the year prior from when he was traded. Admittedly, that three-point shooting does seem like a little bit of an outlier because the year prior he shot 32% from three and then the year after, which was last season, he shot 31% from three. So, Fox probably isn’t as good a three-point shooter as the 37% on high volume, but I don’t think he’ll consistently shoot as bad as 31% either because he’s still a young player. He’s still improving and working on that jump shot. So, I could see him one day consistently shooting around 35% from three on high volume or maybe be in the high30s, but on lower volume. Either one of those efficiencies is fine with me because he still has many years left of elite rim penetration, rim finishing, playmaking, and defense. So, I’m good if he can just be average at best at three-point shooting. Now, in my video six months ago, this is the trade package that I cooked up where the Miami Heat got Darren Fox, Luke Canard, and John Kchar. The Kings got Marcus Mahar, Brandon Clark, Jame Hawkins, Nicole Yovic, Jaylen Wells, and three first round picks. That was one from Memphis and two from the Heat. And then the Memphis Grizzlies ended up getting Jimmy Butler. Of course, this trade is completely irrelevant now because Marcus Smart’s on a different team and so is Canard and Jimmy Butler and guys have went all over the place in different places. But I don’t think this was a bad package for the Kings at the time. And I still don’t think it is because in hindsight, what the Kings actually ended up getting was Zack Lavine and three first round picks. So, I think I did a pretty decent job projecting what De’ar Fox’s trade value was 6 months ago. So, now this is the trade that I cooked up where the Miami Heat received Darren Fox and send over to the Spurs. Terry Rosir’s expiring contract, Nicole Yovic, Jame Hakez, three second round picks, and two first round picks. Now, I’ll admit this isn’t some great amazing value that the Spurs are getting for Darren Fox. But remember, he’s an impending free agent, meaning that he could walk next off season. So, any team that’s trading for him is going to be hesitant to give up all their assets because it could all be for nothing in just a year. Now, that’s the case for any good player who’s on the last year of his deal. But for a bad player like Terry Rosier, his expiring contract does actually have some value to the Spurs because they can offload his $26 million by next off season. And it is beneficial to the Spurs to not have to take on any long-term money for Fox’s $37 million deal. Although, even that’s not entirely true because Nicole Yoic is extension eligible. So, there’s a bit of a question there on what his number will actually be, but I don’t think at this point it’s going to be some super high exorbitant number. I don’t even think it’ll be more than 12 to$15 million a year. Like, that’s what it’ll be on the high end. And I do think that that’s something that the Spurs can’t afford to do. And Jame Hake still has a couple of years left on his cheap rookie deal. So, both those guys are pretty team friendly right now in terms of their contracts, but I also think their encore fit would be really nice. And of course, age-wise, they kind of fit the Spurs timeline as part of their rebuild. Right now, you got women at center. You got a couple of guards and Stefon Castle and Dylan Harper. So, I think Jame at the three and particularly Yoic at the four could work very, very well for the Spurs. Should point out they did draft Carter Bryant who could play to three or four, but we know he’s more of a defensive guy, an elite defensive guy, which is the opposite of what Hame and Yovic do. So, I do think he can kind of complement them very nicely, too. As far as the draft capital return, I don’t think it’s that bad for the Spurs. They did initially send out four first round picks when they acquired Darren Fox, three of them to the Kings, one of them to the Bulls, and they also sent out three second round picks. So, at least in this deal, they are getting those three second round picks back, but they are only getting two of the four first round picks. But, it just is what it is at that point. When you try to trade a guy that you just traded for a year ago, that’s usually not an appreciating asset. You’re usually not going to recoup everything that you sent out because Darren Fox is an expiring contract. So, they are still getting most of their value back in addition to the two young pieces and Hame and Yovic who you could maybe argue that together they have the value of a f as a first round pick. So, it’s not that bad a trade for the San Antonio Spurs. From the Heat perspective, you’re losing Terry Rosier, who we’re all hoping wasn’t going to play anyways. You’re losing Jame Hakez, who I still like, and I think he can have a bounceback season, but I’m just not sure how big a role he’s actually going to have. And then you are losing Nola Yovic, who of course I like. But we’re talking about getting rid of one rotation piece for De’aran Fox. that he could now feel the starting lineup of Fox, Hero, Wiggins, Bam, and Wear with DaVon and Powell as your backup guards. You’d still have Haywood and Pella Larson coming off the bench. I mean, we’re talking about a team in the East. Am I crazy to think that they could be one of the best teams in the entire conference? Am I Am I crazy to think that? Of course, we would still have the glaring issue of a backup center. Yoic was really only our backup big on the entire team, and even he’s not big, but now he’d be gone, too. So, the Heat would definitely need to find someone in in that role if they wanted to be a true contender, unless Vlad Golden is is ready to step in. I’m not so sure just yet, but maybe they could find a big later in the season, whether it’s via buyouts or at the trade deadline, maybe they flip Andrew Wiggins for one. But I do think if they get a backup center, you’re talking about a team that could really make a deep playoff run in the East. Cuz even think about one of our other glaring weaknesses last year. It was our fourth quarter scoring. It was our clutch offense. And De’Arren Fox continues to be one of the most clutch players in the entire NBA. He actually won clutch player of the year in 2023. And this season, FanDuel has him at the seventh best odds to do it again at plus,500. So, he’s very clearly a guy that’s an excellent fourth quarter scorer. And I think his ability to get easy baskets and get to the rim could be huge for the Miami Heat down the stretch. But that’s all I got to say for this video. Let me know your thoughts down below. Make sure to comment if you want Darren Fox. If you like this trade, what do you think is the most you’d give up for him? I’m very curious to hear what y’all think. Also, make sure to like the video and subscribe cuz I’m on the grind to hit 9,000 subs. And I’ll see y’all in the next video. Peace out, everyone. Do it on my own. I don’t need no dead. Yeah, I need a head space. You know this homegrown [ __ ] don’t a fan.

Discussing a De’Aaron Fox to Miami Heat trade from the San Antonio Spurs after Luka Doncic signed an extension with the Los Angeles Lakers. Taking a look at 2026 NBA free agency. NBA and Miami Heat News featuring Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis, Terry Rozier, Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Duncan Robinson, Kevin Love, Haywood Highsmith, Pelle Larsson, Keshad Johnson, Erik Spoelstra and more. Subscribe for more Miami Heat, Miami Dolphins, NBA and NFL news.

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