De’Aaron Fox’s Max Deal Was A LITTLE Surprising | Rachel Nichols & Chris Mannix

De’Aaron Fox’s Max Deal Was A LITTLE Surprising | Rachel Nichols & Chris Mannix

All right, let’s uh let me finish with a topic that you wanted to get into and that is De’arren Fox recently signed a four-year 200 plus million dollar extension with the San Antonio Spurs. Not all that surprising. Fox was, you know, brought there for a reason. He was up for a contract extension. Didn’t play a ton of minutes. So, Victor Webmanyama, I think it was 120, but the Spurs apparently had seen enough. They gave him four years. 229 million uh to be exact. uh your thoughts on San Antonio maxing out Darren Fox? Yeah, it it’s just a lot to commit to Dear Fox, especially on a team where you do also have other good young guards that you are trying to develop like Castle and and some of the other guys on their roster. And I’m interested in this only because I am super in interested in the fate and path of Victor Webbyama. I’ve said this several times. I think if you know health doesn’t become an issue and they build a right team around him, this could be one of the top 10 players of all time. He is that physically gifted. He works that hard. He has a maniacal work ethic. He’s interested in expanding his mind and his game and he’s very receptive. And San Antonio seems like it’s the perfect place for him to do that. And San Antonio has been historically really careful about building its roster. So I don’t want to doubt them. Oh, what do I know sitting in this chair that they don’t know? But it just caught my eye as, wow, that is a lot to commit to Darren Fox, who is a borderline all-star for so much money. It is not going to be a tradeable contract. You know, I I just don’t see a lot of teams wanting to have a Bradley Beal situation on their hands where a guy is actually a good contributing player, but is so overpaid that it causes all this resentment and it hampers your team going forward. I I just I I was surprised not that they paid him, but that they maxed him out the way that they did because I I just assumed that while that extension was assumed when they agreed to trade for him that it wasn’t an agreement for a max and that there would be some understanding of hey, yes, you are technically eligible for this, but with what we are trying to build around Victor Rabinyama, we’re going to pay you a lot of money, but it might not just made that much money and it surprised me. Yeah. Which guys have taken a little bit less. We’ve seen that on some of these recent extensions. The Knicks are a prime example for multiple guys. Jaylen Brunson took a little bit less. Muel Bridges just took a little bit less. So that’s that’s happened. But it it is a staggering amount of money. You throw in the fifth year of that deal, all of a sudden you’re talking close to $300 million over five years. Um it it’s a lot. Now, I I do look if if in two years time Mhm. the Fox, Castle, and Harper are still on the Spurs roster, then I think it’s problematic because then you’re going to have to pay these guys a lot of money. I I still believe that whether it’s before the start of training camp, before the trade deadline, before next off season, or during next off season, there’s another domino to fall in San Antonio. And I think one of those they’ve got the the draft capital, they’ve got the the salary pieces and Devin Vassel and and Kell Johnson, and they’ve got the blue chip guys with with Castle and and Harper. So, I think they’re going to be and they believe they’re going to be in play for a big star over the next 12 months. that would make this deal a little less headscratching because what? Because if you’re in that kind of play for that kind of thing, is Castle the one you want to give up? I don’t know. I’m not convinced Castle’s a point guard. So, and I don’t know what Harper turns out to be either. Like I I I think Fox is obviously a pure point guard. He’s proven that at an all-star level the last few years. I I just I I think their plan is going to be to move off one of those guys. And I think you can have Fox and Castle, Fox and Harper coexist in in the same backed court long term. Again, two years from now, if they come up with nothing, you’re looking down the barrel of paying a lot of money to a lot of guys. Victor’s a couple years away from a contract extension. You know, Castle’s finished his rookie year. Harper’s not even a rookie yet, so they’ve got a little bit of a runway, but Well, do you think this was a good deal? Would you have would you have done this deal if you were in this first? I mean, I would have tried to talk him down a little bit to try to, you know, get him at a a lower percentage of the cap. Um, because that’s kind of the ball game there. You you know, every little bit counts, right? Like staying under the, you know, each apron gives you more flexibility and that’s what you need. You’re trying to do deals. You want flexibility. I I do think again they’ve got they’ve got a runway here where you don’t have to pay Victor quite yet. You’re not paying Harper and Castle quite yet. So, they’ve got a little bit of of a runway. you still have those guys with movable contracts and and Devin and uh and Castle and whomever uh Kell Johnson. So, I I’m okay with I’m okay with the contract. I kind of expected the contract. I think this was always the deal that that Fox was going to get from uh from San Antonio. Now, he’s got to prove that he can play with Wimyama. Like, obviously the Spurs think so. You know, 120 minutes isn’t a big sample size. Uh, but obviously they saw something during that time or they believe that that combination, the pick and roll uptempo clutch player that Fox is, that’s all going to work out ultimately for them. So, we’ll see. Still good a time to be in uh San

Chris Mannix and Rachel Nichols break down De’Aaron Fox signing a max extension with the Spurs and if this could be another Bradley Beal-esque deal down the road
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