NBA Southwest

De'Aaron Fox, who was traded to the San Antonio Spurs this week amidst a flurry of moves around the NBA, offered up a cryptic post Thursday on social media.

"Everybody has the same story about the dysfunction but yeah it's my fault," he wrote, calling into question whether he was taking a shot at his former team, the Sacramento Kings.

That followed an exchange with Damien Barling of the D-Lo & KC radio show in Sacramento:

https://twitter.com/swipathefox/status/1887620602351018189

https://twitter.com/swipathefox/status/1887621364388950071

It's clear that Fox had some issues with the Kings' organization—or at the very least, had some questions about its commitment to winning, or ability to construct a winner—over the course of the past year or so.

In December, for example, he appeared on The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis and spoke about why he declined to sign a long-term extension with the Kings prior to the 2024-25 season.

“I would love to be here and retire here. … But at the end of the day, I want to win.”

De’Aaron Fox explains passing on his extension to @money23green and @barondavis on tomorrow’s @draymondshow https://t.co/fdDqQrLek4 pic.twitter.com/1LAfrPiUnf

— The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis (@DraymondShow) December 17, 2024

"For me, it has all to do with just the team, the organization, where are we going," he said. "I want to make sure that we're in a position to try to win in the future because that's ultimately what I want to do. I know I'll make enough money regardless of where I play or what I do. I'm going to be fine unless God forbid, knock on wood, I have a career-ending injury. But aside from that like I feel like I'm continuing to get better as a player every year."

"I'm coming up on those [prime] years so yeah, they know I'm going to give all I got. But at the end of the day, the organization also has to give all they've got," he added. "So that's where we are right now."

Clearly, Fox didn't feel as though the Kings were holding up their end of the bargain, which ultimately resulted in the organization dealing him to the Spurs, where he'll pair with Victor Wembanyama and a promising young squad.

The Spurs have proven in the past to be an organization capable of building out a dynasty. The Kings, on the other hand, don't have that pedigree, perhaps stemming in part from the "dysfunction" that Fox referenced.

The New Orleans Pelicans are reportedly sticking with their stars despite a disappointing start to the 2024-25 season.

Zion Williamson and C.J. McCollum are set to remain in New Orleans past Thursday's trade deadline, according to NBA insider Marc J. Spears.

"Zion Williamson and C.J. McCollum, they're staying in the N.O.. They ain't going nowhere." 😤 @MarcJSpears with the latest on the future of the New Orleans Pelicans 👀 pic.twitter.com/2cNsosV0yt

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 6, 2025

The 12-win Pelicans currently sit at the bottom of the Western Conference standings. With McCollum and Williamson both signed for at least once more campaign, the Pels could be hoping to retool around them this offseason.

The news comes after ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Pelicans had traded Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk alongside a first-round pick and second-round selection.

Williamson, who was forced to miss more than half of the first five seasons of his NBA career due to injury, has again been limited so far this season.

He sat out two months between December and January with a left hamstring strain, and has been playing on a minutes restriction since his return.

After making his comeback, Williamson was suspended for one game after reportedly arriving late for a flight and missing multiple practices.

Since then, reports coming from inside the Pelicans' organization have been more positive. The Athletic's William Guillory wrote Thursday that "several of the Pelicans higher-ups have been very happy with Williamson's work behind the scenes to improve his conditioning and performance on the court," a week after Williamson told NBA.com's Jim Eichenhofer he felt speedier and more agile since his return.

Although he missed part of the 2024-25 season with a shoulder injury, McCollum has arguably been the Pelicans' most consistent player through an injury-plagued start to the season. When available he has averaged 22 points in 33.4 minutes per night.

The Pelicans have been receiving interest in McCollum since at least December, according to Charania. Given Williamson's limited minutes, Ingram's departure and Dejounte Murray's season-ending injury, the Pels have apparently decided to keep leaning on McCollum rather than further stocking up on draft assets by moving him this winter.

The New Orleans Pelicans are reportedly feeling positive about Zion Williamson's conditioning following his return from a hamstring injury.

According to The Athletic's William Guillory, "several of the Pelicans higher-ups have been very happy with Williamson's work behind the scenes to improve his conditioning and performance on the court."

Guillory's report comes after Williamson said last week he felt that he felt faster and more agile since returning from the left hamstring strain that sidelined him for most of November and December, per NBA.com's Jim Eichenhofer.

"I feel like I don't have to exert as much energy to get to a certain speed," Williamson said Jan. 30, per Eichenhofer. "I feel like my movements are swifter. I definitely see the difference.

Williamson returned from his 27-game absence on Jan. 7 but continued sitting out periodically, missing time due to an illness and a suspension while sitting out half of back-to-back sets.

He recently indicated he would be playing on consecutive days if he could, but had been instructed to limit his playing time by the Pelicans, per Eichenhofer.

Williamson has been productive when available for the Pelicans, averaging 23. 7 points since his return despite being held to under 27 minutes per game.

The final three seasons of Williamson's contract are not currently guaranteed. Locking in the money remaining on his contract depends on him hitting both weigh-in checkpoints and games played minimums, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

Williamson's NBA career has so far been shaped by injuries. He headed into the 2024-25 campaign having played just 184 games in his five seasons since being selected out of Duke with the No. 1 pick of the 2019 draft.

Maintaining conditioning will be key to the Pelicans' hopes of turning the franchise around after what will likely be a missed postseason this spring.

After spending five-plus seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, Brandon Ingram is reportedly being traded to the Toronto Raptors.

Shams Charania of ESPN reported the deal, with the Pelicans getting back Bruce Brown Jr., Kelly Olynyk and draft picks:

Breaking: The New Orleans Pelicans have traded Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors for Bruce Brown Jr., Kelly Olynyk, one first-round pick and one second-rounder, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/tI4jo2cYhM

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2025

Rumblings about Ingram's future in New Orleans really picked up after the team's first-round playoff loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He didn't play well in the series, averaging 14.3 points on 34.5 percent shooting in the four-game sweep.

ESPN's Bobby Marks noted the Pelicans either had to trim their roster or let key free agents like Naji Marshall and Jonas Valančiūnas leave.

Marks also pointed out Ingram was eligible to sign a four-year, $208 million extension on the first day of free agency. His statistical performance would largely warrant that type of deal. He's averaged at least 20 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in each of his five seasons with the Pelicans.

But the combination of Ingram's playoff struggles, injury history and New Orleans' cap situation left his status up in the air. The 26-year-old hasn't played more than 64 games in a season since his rookie year in 2016-17.

The Pelicans already have Zion Williamson, whose injury history is well-documented, under contract for $163.2 million over the next four years.

New Orleans has been on the fringes of being a very good team if its best players could stay healthy. It has had top-10 net ratings in each of the past two seasons, including a plus-4.5 mark in 2023-24 that ranked 10th in the NBA.

Since having healthy players has been a huge problem for the Pelicans this season, they have bottomed out to this point. They have the worst record in the Western Conference (12-39).

Given where the Pelicans are at now and with no obvious franchise cornerstone to build around, trading away any players who have value is smart business for the front office.

Ingram is an interesting addition to a younger Raptors team that is clearly building around players like Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Gradey Dick and Ja'Kobe Walter, among others. Ingram isn't on that same timeline and was expected to go to a team looking to contend right now, rather than the retooling Raptors, which are just 16-35.

So there will be obvious questions about which direction the Raptors are now taking. Do they see a future building around the young core? Or do they simply see many of those players as potential trade chips down the line for more established stars?

Barnes isn't going anywhere, and it's hard to imagine the Raptors acquired Ingram only to lose him in free agency this summer, so he's a safe bet to stick around as well. But Wednesday's trade called into question what the future might hold for some of the team's other young contributors.

A new era for the San Antonio Spurs is here.

De'Aaron Fox, who the Spurs acquired from the Sacramento Kings earlier this week, made his debut and helped lead San Antonio to a gritty 126-125 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.

Fox had a big night, putting up 24 points, 13 assists, five rebounds and three steals. He also played an integral role in the play that ultimately helped seal the win for the Spurs.

Tied with the Hawks in the final seconds, Fox and Victor Wembanyama executed a perfect pick-and-roll that sent Wembanyama to the free throw line to hit what would be the game-winning free throw.

Wembanyama finished with 24 points and 12 boards.

The stellar debut for Fox had fans excited for what the future holds in San Antonio.

De'Aaron Fox is the first player in franchise history with 20p/10a in his debut. pic.twitter.com/y9VKHo5VCu

— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 6, 2025

De'aaron Fox in the 1st half:

18 PTS
1 REB
6 AST
8/12 FG

I used to pray for times like this, literally pic.twitter.com/K2jZAmpWRj

— Spurs Culture (@SpursCulture) February 6, 2025

De’Aaron Fox has always been a star but playing on the Spurs with Wemby is about to bring a whole new level of exposure to his game

He’s been slept on for far too long

— Joel Moran (@joelvmoran) February 6, 2025

We're only two quarters in and you can already see clear as day how adding De'Aaron Fox to this roster makes life easier for everybody.

Guarantee no one in the West wants to see the Spurs in the Play-In once they build chemistry, finalize the depth chart, and settle into roles.

— Noah Magaro-George (@N_Magaro) February 6, 2025

30 seconds into De’Aaron Fox’s Spurs career, a signature sequence shows why the team was so eager to trade for him
pic.twitter.com/l6nI2K4Xvs

— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) February 6, 2025

@spurs offense looks fluid with the NEW addition of De’Aaron Fox 🙏🏽

— Thuggy (4-13) (@ericdolo_47) February 6, 2025

The Spurs find themselves in crunch time once again…but this time…a former clutch player of the year is on their side…

DE’AARON FOX, DO YOUR THING!

— Noah Magaro-George (@N_Magaro) February 6, 2025

De’Aaron Fox shooting 61% from the floor?

Yeah this trade is good

— Kannon Torres (@TorresKannon) February 6, 2025

D Fox n Wemby pick n roll for next 5 years

— Dza (@Doubdour) February 6, 2025

Fox to Wembanyama PnR to get Wemby to the line for the lead with 2.4 seconds left. That play is going to be unstoppable.

— Aaron Bruski (@aaronbruski) February 6, 2025

It's only been one game for Fox, but it seems like he and Wembanayma already have an on-court connection. The pick-and-roll between the two that we saw late on Wednesday will likely be a play opposing teams have nightmares about for years to come.

With Fox now on the roster, the Spurs are looking to get into playoff contention. San Antonio is currently in 12th place in the West at 21-26, but took a step in the right direction with Wednesday's win.

Dallas Mavericks fans shouldn't expect Kevin Durant to join Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving in North Texas ahead of Thursday's 3 p.m. ET NBA trade deadline.

NBA insider Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported Tuesday that "there was no tangible expectation percolating in Dallas, as of Tuesday night, to suggest that the Mavericks were a true factor in the Durant chase."

Sam Amick, David Aldridge and Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported before that that the Mavs "have dreams of adding Durant."

Dallas' interest in the 14-time All-Star seems to further undercut one of the remarks general manager Nico Harrison made in the wake of trading franchise cornerstone Luka Dončić.

Harrison told ESPN's Tim MacMahon that swapping Dončić for Davis meant the Mavericks are "built to win now and in the future."

Maybe history will show paying Dončić a five-year supermax extension worth up to $345 million would've been a mistake, one with significant long-term consequences. For now, however, the front office shortened its championship window with the current roster.

That means needing to target more aging vets such as Durant to pair with Davis and Irving. And you covet the 36-year-old specifically with an eye toward winning within the next few seasons due to his age and eventual free agency in 2026.

Not to mention, KD will have been with the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns for less than three full years apiece if he bolts before the deadline or this summer.

But leaning on Davis and Irving, two stars with injury records on the wrong side of 30, means Harrison has to operate on a win-now basis.

Even if the Mavericks don't get Durant now, it might be a matter of time before they reignite their pursuit or look to another marquee star in the offseason.

The Dallas Mavericks' inexplicable decision to trade Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick may have ultimately been an ownership call.

Colin Cowherd said during his podcast on Tuesday that a person who has known Mavs general manager Nico Harrison for over 20 years said the decision to trade Dončić "came from above and beyond the general manager," [2:00 mark].

So why exactly would the Mavericks want to get out of the Dončić business? Why ditch a five-time first-team All-NBA selection who just led you to the NBA Finals and is in his prime years?

On Monday, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon reported that "the Mavericks' frustrations with Dončić's habits on and off the court were well known in league circles. Head coach Jason Kidd frequently expressed concerns publicly and directly with Dončić about his conditioning, weight fluctuations and constant arguing with officials. Dončić had mostly taken the criticism without complaint, but it never resulted in a significant change in his habits."

The most feasible explanation for trading him, then, is that Mavericks were concerned Dončić may not age well given his conditioning habits and didn't want to saddle themselves with the five-year, $345 million supermax extension he would have been eligible to sign this summer.

New video: My @SportsCenter report on Day 1 of Luka Doncic in L.A. pic.twitter.com/VEl8vcx4qM

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 5, 2025

As Shelburne and MacMahon reported, team governor Patrick Dumont saw the trade as "a business decision that would preserve the Mavericks' financial flexibility for the long term, team sources said, and he trusted Harrison's vision of how Davis would be a culture-setter and give the team a new defense-minded identity."

They added that "team sources say they were as afraid of Dončić signing the [supermax] deal as they were of him not."

With 5 on 5 work tomorrow and an anticipated @Lakers debut for Luka on Saturday, @JaredSGreenberg has the latest on Dončić's arrival in LA 🙌 pic.twitter.com/uSS8m23WXI

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 5, 2025

Even so, Harrison could have advocated for opening up trade talks behind just the clandestine conversations with the Lakers. He could have created a bidding war for Dončić rather than settling for a solitary first-round pick and a 31-year-old star who will shorten the team's window to compete for titles. And he could have kept Dončić in the loop rather than blindsiding him with the trade, a decision that could come back to bite the Mavericks in the future when other superstars have to decide if they want to align themselves with Harrison and the team's ownership. Agents have long memories.

In the short term, perhaps the duo of Kyrie Irving and Davis will fare well together, and perhaps the Mavericks have more moves in mind. For now, though, the decision to trade Dončić—whoever's decision it ultimately was—was handled in questionable fashion.

The Houston Rockets don't seem inclined to break up their young core to acquire a star ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

Well, unless Devin Booker is on the table, that is.

According to SI.com's Chris Mannix, "Houston continues to take a very disciplined approach to this trade deadline. The Rockets, arguably the NBA's biggest surprise this season, have not expressed any interest in engaging with teams about any of their top young talent. As one exec put it, 'Unless you are calling them about Booker, they are not interested.'"

The Rockets don't have much reason to jump the gun on breaking up their young core.

The team is currently 32-17, third in the Western Conference. The core group of Jalen Green (22 years old), Alperen Şengün (22), Amen Thompson (22), Jabari Smith Jr. (21), Tari Eason (23), Cam Whitmore (21) and Reed Sheppard (20) is on the same timeline and arguably ahead of schedule given the team's fantastic start to the 2024-25 season.

Green (21.5 PPG), Şengün (19.1 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 5.0 APG) and Thompson (13.9 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 1.2 BPG) in particular look like franchise cornerstones. And the Rockets have surrounded them with complementary veterans like Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, creating one of the NBA's deepest rotations in the process.

Houston also has solid draft capital going forward, including first-round swap rights with the Brooklyn Nets in 2027, an unprotected first from the Phoenix Suns in 2027, a 2029 first-round pick from either Dallas or Phoenix and its own first-rounders between 2028-31.

Their young core, alongside those future draft assets, gives them two paths going forward.

The first is the Oklahoma City Thunder approach. The Thunder have largely avoided making a giant splash on the trade market, instead allowing a talented core to grow together while maintaining future flexibility. It has helped that the team has a superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and has nailed a number of draft picks, in particular on Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Aaron Wiggins.

The second approach is the one the San Antonio Spurs have taken. The Spurs have an ascending superstar in Victor Wembenyama and solid young players like Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Stephon Castle, Jeremy Sochan and Julian Champagnie. But the Spurs were also flush with future draft capital and decided to use some of it to improve immediately, acquiring De'Aaron Fox over the weekend.

That approach maintained the team's young talent and many of its best future draft assets while still improving the team in the short term, allowing them to make a playoff push in the next few seasons while still keeping a young core intact. Wemby makes them a threat both now and in the future, and the Spurs are well-positioned on both timelines.

But the Rockets are in a better roster situation than the Spurs were before they pulled the trigger on a Fox deal. They are better positioned to take more of a Thunder approach, in other words—unless a star like Booker becomes available, that is.

After trading star guard Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, the Dallas Mavericks aren't done wheeling and dealing.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Mavs acquired forward Caleb Martin from the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday in exchange for shooting guard Quentin Grimes and a 2025 second-round pick that was originally owned by the Sixers.

NBA insider Marc Stein explained that the second-round pick was Philadelphia's primary motivation for the trade, as it was originally sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of a 2021 trade for point guard George Hill.

NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that Martin "drew some real interest around the league, as the Sixers' season slipped away due to injuries." The Milwaukee Bucks were reportedly among the teams interested in him and could pursue his twin brother Cody Martin of the Charlotte Hornets.

In his first season in Philadelphia, Martin was a serviceable contributor for an injury-riddled team. He appeared in 31 games with 24 starts and averaged 9.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 37.9 percent from beyond the arc. He had a breakout performance on Christmas Day against the Boston Celtics, scoring 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting from three-point range in a 118-114 win.

Martin will be joining a new-look Mavs team that made one of the most shocking trades in NBA history by sending Dončić to the Lakers as part of a deal that acquired star big man Anthony Davis, guard Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick. Dallas ranks eighth in the West with a 26-24 record.

It wouldn't be a surprise if the Mavs had more moves in store before Thursday's trade deadline as they begin a new era without Dončić.

Many are still wondering what prompted the Dallas Mavericks to trade star guard Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, and one expert revealed that the writing was already on the wall that the Mavs were ready to ship him away.

"The league is rarely caught off guard by a transaction, but here we are, even after two days to digest the deal. The two takeaways I've heard the most: The Mavs' relationship with Dončić was more fractured than anyone comprehended, and the return from the Lakers was less than anyone expected," ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on Tuesday.

Dallas sent Dončić and forwards Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to Los Angeles in exchange for star big man Anthony Davis, guard Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick.

Trading a 25-year-old phenom likely would've garnered a bigger return, but Mavs general manager Nico Harrison revealed that the Lakers were the only team he spoke to regarding a potential deal for Dončić.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon added some context to the decision, reporting that Dallas "had major concerns about moving forward" with Dončić "due to his constant conditioning issues and the looming commitment of another supermax contract extension this summer." MacMahon later said on Monday's episode of The Hoop Collective (43:45 mark) that the Mavs "were terrified of a supermax commitment," as Dončić would've been eligible to receive a five-year, $345 million extension this summer.

The public perception surrounding the trade likely won't change anytime soon. Dallas shipped away the face of its franchise without warning, completely altering the team's future outlook.

Only time will tell if the Mavs made the correct decision to part ways with Dončić at the height of his career.