NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The NBA trade deadline is approaching and with a few trades already made, the talk has centered around the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers. Somehow, no one has mentioned the trade that could change the NBA for the next 10 years. The San Antonio Spurs paired De’Aaron Fox with Victor Wembanyama and no one is saying anything about it.
What Luka will bring to the Lakers is exciting and Anthony Davis has a chance now to win another ring with the Mavericks. However, looking ahead, the Spurs have arguably one of the best 1-2 punch in the NBA. Fox is no slouch and Wemby is the face of the league waiting in line to take over the crown. Putting them on the same team for the next decade spells trouble for the rest of the league.
Wemby, in just his second season in the NBA, is averaging 24.6 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 3.9 blocks per game. He’s just scratching the surface of what he can become. Now, you add in a young PG in Fox who is averaging 25.0 points, 6.1 assists, and 5.0 rebounds. Yes, the Spurs will need to add more for this to come to fruition but their foundation is set.
As of today, the San Antonio Spurs have Chris Paul leading the offense as the facilitator and with his arrival, there is a good chance that the Spurs will place Fox as the starting SG and continue to let Paul not just mentor Wemby, but also groom Fox as well to take over next season. This is why this move is so important and yet, it’s being swept under the rug as if it’s not as important as Luka to the Lakers or Davis to the Mavericks.
Fox has played with bigs before as he and Domantas Sabonis became a lethal pick-and-roll unit. Sabonis is an All-Star thanks to Fox but what Fox and Webmy can become should have the rest of the league biting their nails in fear.
Last season, the Spurs won just 22 games. This season, before the All-Star break, the Spurs are sitting at 21 wins. The growth is evident and they have done that without a true second option on the offensive end of the floor. Fox is going to change all that. He provides the Spurs with a player who can do whatever he wants with the ball in his hands. Paul can still get to the rim but Fox is younger and faster.
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The playoffs this season are not out of the question for the San Antonio Spurs but much like the Lakers end of the Luka deal, this is about what happens next season and beyond. The Spurs will have cap space in 2025 to add another star or fill out their young roster with suitable role players.
Teams in the Western Conference are getting younger and playing great basketball. Look at the Houston Rockets, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Memphis Grizzles. Young teams moving up the standings to represent the West. Teams like the Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and Phoenix Suns are getting older and falling behind. The Spurs are putting themselves in a position to be a front-runner for the next decade.
The San Antonio Spurs made the best deal of any of the trade deadline deals so far as they are being led by two players under the age of 28. They still have Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle, Jeremy Sochan, Julian Champagnie, and Keldon Johnson. Not household names but how many people know who plays alongside shai giacheis alexander in OKC?
This was a great move by the Spurs all the way around. But as usual, the bigger market teams like the Lakers and Mavericks are gaining more headlines just because they garner more clicks. But make no mistakes about it, the Spurs got better now and for the future.
