Spurs have the perfect Rockets trade candidate that no one wants to admit

The Rockets are in need of more talent and youth at the point guard position, which De'Aaron Fox can provide compared to Fred VanVleet. Although Houston is currently comfortable rolling with VanVleet as their primary floor general, Fox could be an easily attainable replacement after his disastrous Finals performance. It'll be hard to find an All-Star point guard for less assets than Fox in the near future.

Fox could be the answer that Houston needs

Although De’Aaron Fox had a poor showing in the Finals, he’s still capable of leading an NBA offense to high levels. Many have forgotten that Fox was nursing a high ankle sprain since the Western Conference Finals, but chose to play through it because the Spurs offense struggled to take care of the ball without him. In fact, Fox’s biggest contribution to San Antonio’s Finals run arguably didn’t show up at all in his own stats, but rather Stephon Castle’s decreased turnovers.

Since the Rockets also lack any natural point guards among their young core, bringing in Fox as a stop-gap solution could be a smart move. He can offer guidance to developing ball-handlers like Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard while also providing All-Star production when he’s at his best.

Even this season, Fox was named an All-Star while averaging 19 points and 6 assists per game. Fox doesn’t have the same explosive burst as he did in his younger years, but still has some good years left at age 28. If the Rockets decide to commit fully towards their young core, he could be a good option to age along with them.

Houston can handle Fox’s contract 

Arguably Fox’s most negative trait from a team-building perspective is his massive upcoming contract extension. Starting next season, he will make an average of $55 million per season for the next 4 seasons. For most teams with hopes of contending, this could be a killer on the salary sheet.

But the Rockets are uniquely positioned to absorb the blow because they’ve made savvy moves elsewhere. They have Alperen Sengun locked up through at least 2029 on one of the cheapest All-Star contracts in the league. They’ve even got a discount on Kevin Durant’s upcoming contract extension.

Since the Rockets are able to provide cap relief by taking on Fox, they might even be able to snag another asset from the Spurs. That would only serve to sweeten the deal and make De’Aaron Fox a potential no-brainer addition for Houston.

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