When the San Antonio Spurs traded for De’Aaron Fox a year ago, they believed they had found the perfect co-star for their ace player, Victor Wembanyama.
Fox would be the savvy guard leading the action, with Wembanyama patrolling anything and everything around the rim.
The Spurs believed in Fox so much that they agreed to a four-year, $229 million maximum contract extension during the offseason, locking him as the true second-in-command on a team that had title aspirations.
On Wednesday, following Game 1 of the NBA Finals, many Spurs fans are wondering if there are any loopholes to get out of that $229 million deal.
Fox opened the game with a flurry of 3-pointers that all missed, and it only got worse from there for the former Sacramento King, as he was sandpaper on the court for the Spurs.
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Fox finished 3-13 from the field for seven points, along with three turnovers and only five assists. To make matters worse, rookie guard Dylan Harper, who was selected No. 2 in the 2025 NBA Draft, was monstrous in his Finals debut, showing no fear with 16 points off 6-10 shooting.
While that usually wouldn’t be a problem, in the dying minutes of the game with the score deadlocked, head coach Mitch Johnson backed the veteran Fox over Harper.
If Fox had risen to the moment and helped score a few points to push the Spurs over the line, three quarters of poor play would have been instantly forgotten. Instead, though, Fox continued to struggle, ending the night with a simple, short jump shot with no defender in his face that clanked off the rim and effectively ended the game for the Spurs.
Until Game 2 tips off on Friday, Spurs fans will be wondering what would have happened if Harper were on the court over Fox.
And when you’re set to make $53,460,000 or higher for the next three seasons, that should never be the question in the NBA Finals.