San Antonio Spurs point guard De’Aaron Fox will undergo season-ending surgery to repair tendon damage in his left pinkie. ESPN’s Shams Charania was first to report.
The injury was suffered during training camp while still with the Sacramento Kings. He is expected to recover in time for the start of training camp next season.
Fox was coming off a monster game against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. He scored 32 points to go along with nine rebounds and 11 assists in a 126-116 victory.
Acquired before the trade deadline, Fox averaged 19.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.5 steals with the Spurs.
Spurs Loading Up For Next Season
The uphill battle of making the playoffs already looked all the more ominous without Victor Wembanyama. Arriving at this decision with Fox is the official waving of the white flag on the season. 10 games under .500, San Antonio currently has the 10th best odds heading into the lottery.
Both the Portland Trail Blazers and Chicago Bulls are a half-game behind the Spurs, so the door is open to improve to the eighth best odds. The Toronto Raptors have the easiest remaining strength of schedule. They have won five of their last six games and currently sit five games worse than the Spurs.
If San Antonio can add a quality draft pick to the core of Wembanyama, Fox, and Stephon Castle, there will be clear playoff aspirations in 2025-26. Supporting pieces like Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell, and Keldon Johnson add to the intrigue, but it would be interesting to see if this franchise has another big deal in its sights in the summer.
It remains to be seen what will happen with veteran star point guard Chris Paul.
Will Popovich Return?
One big question surrounding the Spurs for next season will be whether Gregg Popovich actually returns to the sidelines.
Having suffered a mild stroke on Nov. 2, 2024, Popovich has been away from the team and recovering since.
While he speaks with the team often and released a statement updating the public on his health, there were no assurances of when he might return.