Rockets dodged an expensive bullet by avoiding De'Aaron Fox

The Houston Rockets are doing a great job of managing their salary cap. One conference rival can't say the same. The Spurs will live to regret the contract they gave De'Aaron Fox, and the Rockets should be glad to have dodged that bullet.

Remember when Fox-to-Houston rumors were fashionable? There was a simple appeal in acquiring him. Fox is a star point guard. The Rockets looked like fringe contenders who were a dynamic lead ball-handler away from knocking "fringe" off that description.

The NBA is not simple. Simply satisfying roster demands isn't a general manager's entire job. They need to balance the books.

Fox's new deal has knocked the Spurs off balance.

Rockets' rivals overpay for Fox

Fox just signed a four-year, $229 million deal with the Spurs. That's an average annual value (AAV) of $57.25 million.

That's a lot of cap space.

It's an egregious amount to commit to Fox. He's got a career Box Plus/Minus (BPM) of 0.8. His 2.7 mark in 2023-24 was a career high. That's a solid mark, but it's not indicative of a max player.

Part of Fox's issue has always been three-point shooting. His career 33.0% accuracy has always been problematic. Fox suffers from familiar woes. He's got minimal off-ball value, but he's not one of the league's most impactful on-ball players either.

Fox is a good player. He's simply not worth $57.25 million per season. It's a particularly puzzling dilemma for the Spurs. Stephon Castle flashed potential as a rookie, and they just drafted Dylan Harper. It's difficult to imagine how they'll find sufficient on-ball reps for their pair of young guards with Fox in the fold.

Luckily, that's not the Rockets' problem.

Rockets are in a better position than they would be with Fox

Let's imagine the Rockets had acquired Fox. Now, let's imagine they opted against acquiring Kevin Durant, having picked up Fox.

With no other roster moves, their salary outlook would be similar for the next few seasons. Durant remains a significantly better player than Fox, so the Rockets would be paying roughly the same amount for an inferior product.

Let's be frank - the Spurs are scary. Victor Wembanyama defies reason. This is a team that's poised to be a problem for the Rockets for years to come.

So, the fact that they'll have problems of their own benefits Houston. Fox's deal will be an albatross. The Spurs will struggle to move it when they inevitably need to shed his salary. That's great, but even if the Spurs manage to deal with that problem, it's worth celebrating the fact that the Rockets won't have to face the same dilemma.

Their cap is looking crystal clean.