San Antonio Spurs

There is "serious skepticism" that the San Antonio Spurs would be willing to include rookie guard Stephon Castle in any deal involving Sacramento Kings star De'Aaron Fox.

Sam Amick of The Athletic reported the news.

"The Kings are known to covet the Spurs rookie guard who was taken fourth overall out of Connecticut in the NBA Draft last June, but there is serious skepticism in league circles that San Antonio will be willing to include him," Amick wrote.

"If that's ultimately the case, the Kings would have to determine whether there's an acceptable pathway to doing the deal without him. That's not the end of San Antonio's considerations, either."

ESPN's Shams Charania reported Tuesday that the Kings were "expected to open up talks to potentially deal" Fox prior to the Feb. 6 trade deadline. He also said Fox has a "target destination" in mind.

James Ham of ESPN 1320 reported that Fox's preferred landing spot is the Spurs, and Amick noted that Fox's preferred destination is "widely believed" to be San Antonio as well.

Amick also reported that "De'Aaron Fox's agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, recently sent word that it would be wise for the Kings to move him now."

If that's the case, then the Spurs could have some leverage here in negotiations, especially with the deadline approaching in a week.

San Antonio certainly wouldn't want to part with Castle, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft.

The ex-UConn star, who won a national championship in his lone year at school, has broken out recently with 18.0 points per game on 48 percent shooting over his last seven contests.

Of course, Fox is a star that San Antonio should pursue, especially given his reported interest in the team. He could be a game-changer for a team on the rise and form a great partnership with superstar Victor Wembyanama. He's averaging 25.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game this season and squarely in his prime at 27 years of age.

For now, Fox remains a King, but that could change within a week. It's pretty clear, though, that Castle should be staying in San Antonio, which is a wise move for the Spurs given his potential.

The San Antonio Spurs checked in with the New Orleans Pelicans regarding forward Brandon Ingram, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, before rumors quickly circulated regarding the team's interest in Sacramento Kings point guard De'Aaron Fox:

"Well before Fox became a trade candidate, the Spurs previously checked in to gauge the price tag on Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, league sources told HoopsHype. Talks, however, were described as exploratory interest."

Multiple reporters stated Tuesday that Fox, a pending free agent in 2026, has his sights set on landing with the Spurs, including James Ham of ESPN 1320 and Sam Amick of The Athletic.

Those reports emerged after ESPN's Shams Charania stated that the Kings were "expected to open up talks to potentially deal" Fox ahead of next Thursday's trade deadline, in addition to the point guard having a "target destination" in mind.

As for Ingram, there's been plenty of rumors and speculation about his next destination. He's on an expiring contract and set to be a free agent in 2025. The Pelicans are struggling at second-last in the Western Conference standings. At this point, they are best-served trading Ingram (and perhaps other players) in hopes of rebuilding and starting anew. In Ingram's case, the Pels risk losing him for nothing this offseason without a trade, so a move makes sense.

Ingram is currently out of the lineup due to a low left ankle sprain suffered on Dec. 7, but he was productive when healthy, posting 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists over his first 18 games.

The 27-year-old Ingram has played nine NBA seasons (three with the Los Angeles Lakers, six with the Pels) and fared quite well in New Orleans, posting 23.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG and 5.2 APG. His time there may be up soon, so the question is where he could end up by next Thursday's trade deadline.

One can guess that the Spurs may be most focused landing Fox at the moment, so Ingram appears out of the picture anyway, adding to the fact that San Antonio's inquiry on him was exploratory, per Scotto. But he's certainly one of the biggest names out there available for a move as the trade deadline nears.

San Antonio Spurs superstar center Victor Wembanyama expressed frustration Wednesday night with how he has been officiated this season.

Following the Spurs' 128-116 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, Wembanyama told reporters that he believes he has been treated unfairly at times, saying:

"So it's a hard thing to fight, because it feels unfair sometimes. But of course, we talk about it with the staff and there is some stuff I have to do to help myself. First of all, being strong and not bailing out shots, but also there is some work to do. Talking to the refs, of course, explaining myself. But for me, it doesn't feel like it's something I should influence. I'm a basketball player, I'm here to play, and yeah, this is why it's frustrating. It's not my job to do politics."

During the third quarter of Wednesday's game, Clippers center Ivica Zubac sent Wemby tumbling to the court on a hip check while Spurs forward Harrison Barnes was shooting a three-pointer, but no foul was called.

Wembanyama got up and attempted to run at Zubac, but teammates and coaches prevented him from doing so.

Regarding the lack of a call, Wembanyama said: "It's not even about Zubac. It's just frustration, no matter who it was."

Wemby also said, "No," when asked if he believes he has been getting officiated fairly.

Zubac expressed remorse for his actions on the play, noting that he was frustrated since he felt Wembanyama fouled him on a block on the previous possession:

"I reacted a little. I thought I got fouled [on the previous play]. I was mad at the refs. So then I was late [on Barnes' three-point shot]. I saw it going up. I saw Wemby crashing, so I knew I had to box him out. I bumped him a little harder. I let emotions take over a little bit, but I apologized to him. That's not the way I want to be on the court and compete."

While Zubac is a 7-footer and Wembanyama is 7'3", Zubac plays a more physical game, whereas Wemby's game is more skill-based.

Zubac outweighs Wembanyama 240 pounds to 235 pounds despite being three inches shorter, and he used that to his advantage in recording 21 points and 22 rebounds on Wednesday night.

Wembanyama had a good showing in his own right with 23 points and 12 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to secure a victory.

Four of the Clippers' five starters scored at least 20 points in an impressive win that improved their record to 27-20 on the year.

As for the Spurs, they have now lost eight of their past 10 games, which could potentially explain some of the frustration from Wembanyama's perspective.

At 20-24, the Spurs almost already have as many wins as they each of the past two seasons when they went 22-60, but they are now 2.5 games back of the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference, which is the final spot in the postseason play-in tournament.

Wembanyama and the Spurs will look to get back on track Friday when they host the Milwaukee Bucks.

De'Aaron Fox's preferred trade destination is reportedly interested in him.

On NBA Countdown, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the San Antonio Spurs are interested in the Sacramento Kings star. He also noted that Fox has a "massive market right now."

"I'm told the San Antonio Spurs, according to league sources, are De'Aaron Fox's preferred destination and San Antonio is among the interested teams in Fox," Charania said. "This is someone that has a massive market right now. He's jumped from the top of the trade landscape ahead of the February 6 NBA trade deadline."

Charania reported Tuesday that the Kings are "expected to open up talks" to potentially trade Fox ahead of the deadline, paving the way for what could be a blockbuster deal. ESPN Radio's James Ham reported on Tuesday that the Spurs are Fox's preferred landing spot should Sacramento part ways with him.

Of course, the Spurs will be competing with a number of other interested teams. As Charania noted, the Kings have received "dozens" of calls about Fox and they will likely field some enticing offers.

While the Kings reportedly want "win-now players" in a trade for Fox, the Spurs could help them build for the future by trading some of their draft picks. They have 12 first-rounders over the next seven years at their disposal. San Antonio also possesses a handful of talented young players that it would likely be willing to send to Sacramento.

Should Fox end up with his team of choice, the Spurs could be a team to watch for years to come. One could argue they were already one of the most exciting young teams in the league thanks to Victor Wembanyama, but adding Fox to the mix would almost certainly turn them into a playoff contender.

Fox, who is just 27, is putting up 25.2 points, 6.2 assists and five rebounds per game. Wembanyama is just now scratching the surface in his second season, and he's still been tremendous. The former No. 1 overall pick is averaging 24.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per game.

While the prospect of Fox and Wembanyama teaming up is exciting, it will remain hypothetical for now as the Kings continue answering calls and trying to find the best offer for their star.

If Sacramento Kings star point guard De'Aaron Fox ends up being moved ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, his "preferred landing spot" is reportedly the San Antonio Spurs, per Kings' reporter James Ham.

That follows multiple reports that the Kings will listen to offers from Fox, but that the guard has a preferred destination in mind:

The Brooklyn Nets and Houston Rockets have also been linked to a possible move for Fox:

But Ian Begley of SNY reported that "several opposing teams monitoring the Fox/Sacramento situation believed San Antonio was among the teams he'd like to play for."

It's easy enough to see why Fox might be intrigued by the Spurs.

For one, the team has an ascending superstar in Victor Wembanyama, while Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson, Stephon Castle and Julian Champagnie make up an intriguing young core around him.

A Fox and Wemby pick-and-roll would be dynamic. The former is averaging 25.2 points and 6.2 assists per game this season and remains one of the most explosive points guards in the sport, while Wemby is putting up a cool 24.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and an NBA-leading 3.9 blocks per game. He's already one of the league's best two-way players, and his ability to hit shots from the perimeter (35.3 percent from three) also makes him one of the game's most dynamic and versatile big men.

But the Spurs wouldn't have to settle for a Fox and Wemby core, given that they are also flush with future draft capital:

• 2025: Own first-rounder, Atlanta's unprotected first, Chicago's protected first (1-10), Charlotte's protected first (1-14).
• 2026: Own first-rounder, first-round swap rights with Atlanta.
• 2027: Own first-rounder, Atlanta's unprotected first.
• 2028: Own first-rounder, first-round swap rights with Boston (protected for No. 1).
• 2029: Own first-rounder.
• 2030: Own first-rounder, most valuable first-rounder between Minnesota and Dallas.
• 2031: Own first-rounder, Minnesota's unprotected first, first-round swap rights with Sacramento.

While some of those picks would be needed to acquire Fox, the Spurs would still have ammo to land another star player in a trade going forward.

The question for the Spurs is whether they want to make such a move now. Wemby is only 21 years old and on a different timeline than Fox, who is firmly in his prime years. The Spurs don't have to be in a rush to depart with their many draft assets, especially while they sit at 20-23 on the season and currently out of the Play-In Tournament berths in the loaded Western Conference.

They could win the draft lottery in the next two years and land Cooper Flagg or A.J. Dybantsa. And even if they didn't, they may have enough draft capital to move the board for players like Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, Darryn Peterson or Cameron Boozer in the next two drafts, all players on Wemby's timeline.

At some point, the team is going to surround Wemby with more talent, and Fox would be a good fit if they go after an established star. Whether it currently makes the most sense to do so, however, is up for debate.