By Mike Finger | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-01-31 15:18:56
德克萨斯州休斯顿 - 2026年1月20日：圣安东尼奥马刺队的4号球员达龙·福克斯 (De’aaron Fox) 在丰田中心对阵休斯顿火箭队的比赛中。
在NBA交易截止日前的最后一个周末，马刺队连续第二年调整了他们的日程安排。
这一次是为了躲避北卡罗来纳州的恶劣天气。而去年冬天，则是为了抓住一个看似好到不容错过的机会。
当他们在近一年前的同一时间得到达龙·福克斯时，马刺队加速其建队进程的幅度，远不止周六在夏洛特因比赛提前开球而赢得的三个小时。他们当时赌定球队已为赢在当下做好了准备，而事实证明他们是对的。
他们赌得太对了，以至于联盟其他球队已经将萨克拉门托国王队在赛季中期满足一位明星球员交易请求的决定，当成了一个反面教材。
“毕竟，”The Athletic的萨姆·阿米克 (Sam Amick) 在周六写道，“众所周知，国王队对那笔交易的结果深感后悔。”
去年二月那笔看似打劫的交易，如今看来更加一边倒了，这不仅仅是因为在如今的西部联盟战绩榜上，排名第三的马刺队与垫底的国王队之间存在着20个胜场和天差地别的球队氛围。当一支球队成为买家，另一支成为卖家时，短期内出现这种情况本属正常。
然而，福克斯这笔交易的不同之处在于，从长远来看，买家也为自己铺设了远比卖家更好的未来。回顾一下马刺队为了得到福克斯付出了什么吧。这位28岁的控球后卫，看起来已准备好作为维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 争冠路上的搭档，一路并肩作战，直到球队最终搬入市中心的新球馆。
为了得到他，马刺队送走了三名不符合他们未来计划的球员（特雷·琼斯 (Tre Jones)、扎克·科林斯 (Zach Collins) 和西迪·西索科 (Sidy Cissoko)），以及一批价值平平的选秀权，其中可能没有一个顺位能进入前十。
北卡罗来纳州夏洛特 - 2026年1月31日，星期六：在NBA篮球比赛的下半场，夏洛特黄蜂队后卫拉梅洛·鲍尔 (1号) (LaMelo Ball) 对位圣安东尼奥马刺队后卫达龙·福克斯进行突破。(美联社照片/内尔·雷德蒙)
第一个选秀权，即马刺归还给芝加哥公牛队的那个，被用来选中了诺亚·埃森格 (Noa Essengue)，后者在本赛季因肩部手术报销前总共只打了六分钟。去年来自夏洛特的一个受重重保护的首轮签未能兑现，甚至可能连次轮签都变不成。
除此之外，有价值的筹码只剩下马刺队在2027年的一个首轮签——届时圣安东尼奥已经拥有一个顺位应该会高得多的来自亚特兰大的选秀权——以及森林狼队在2031年的一个首轮签。
因此，国王队“深感后悔”也就不足为奇了。他们再次被当作如何不该运营一支球队的反面案例，也毫不奇怪。
回过头看，马刺队若不利用萨克拉门托的管理混乱，那才是疯了。即便是在像周六这样的日子里——福克斯状态不佳，而他的新秀替补看起来已准备好承担更多责任——这一论断依然成立。
圣安东尼奥总经理布莱恩·莱特 (Brian Wright) 在一年前无法预知，又一次幸运的乐透抽签会把迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 送到他手中，也无法预知哈珀会如此迅速地让13投9中、得到20分的表现看起来轻而易举。
但即便莱特本可以预见到他的后卫线上会人才过剩，福克斯——考虑到马刺为他付出的代价——难道不仍是一笔毫无疑问的超值交易吗？他足够年长，能提供老将经验；又足够年轻，能契合文班亚马的时间线。而且，他能成为米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 在每场比赛最后时刻战术板上的重要部分，也是有原因的。
一年前，在福克斯身披马刺球衣的第一周，他在亚特兰大命中了一记制胜球，在夏洛特错失了一记，而那正是马刺周六输球的同一座球馆。去年二月在夏洛特比赛后，文班亚马描述了球队对福克斯的计划。
“我们不会只信任他一半，”文班亚马说，“我们会百分之百地信任他。”
自那以后的52周里，这种态度从未改变，这也是为什么与上一次相比，马刺队在今年交易截止日前夕的交易市场上可能会平静得多。
为杰里米·索汉 (Jeremy Sochan) 寻找一个新下家似乎仍是大概率事件，甚至可以说是板上钉钉。如果能用他的合同——或者凯利·奥利尼克 (Kelly Olynyk) 的合同——换来一位能投三分球的实用替补，马刺队会毫不犹豫地出手。
但他们绝不可能加入对扬尼斯·阿德托昆博 (Giannis Antetokounmpo) 的竞价，因为那样做必然会以比福克斯交易更剧烈的方式改变他们的建队进程。
通过引进福克斯，他们稍稍提前打开了季后赛窗口期，同时确保这个窗口能一直开放到下一个十年。而任何关于阿德托昆博的交易都会是寅吃卯粮，在马刺队连现有核心阵容的一轮季后赛都还没打过的情况下，就为了满足当下的迫切需求而牺牲未来。
所以，在那笔让交易对手后悔不迭的交易完成一年后，马刺并没有再次出手的紧迫感。
正如文班亚马所说，马刺的信任是百分之百的。
对福克斯的信任。
以及对那个将他带到这里的计划的信任。
Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (7) shoots against San Antonio Spurs guard De’aaron Fox during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper drives to the basket for a dunk against the Charlotte Hornets during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) looks to pass against Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams, right, fouls San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama, left, shoots against Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel, right, drives against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte Hornets guard Collin Sexton (8) drives against San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
点击查看原文：One year after NBA trade heist, Spurs still trust in De’Aaron Fox
One year after NBA trade heist, Spurs still trust in De’Aaron Fox
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 20: De’aaron Fox #4 of the San Antonio Spurs in action during the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on January 20, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
On the final weekend before the NBA trade deadline, for the second year in a row, the Spurs made a schedule adjustment.
This time it was about beating the weather in North Carolina. Last winter, it was about seizing an opportunity that appeared too good to resist.
When they acquired De’Aaron Fox almost exactly a year ago, the Spurs sped up their timeline by much more than the three hours they gained with Saturday’s early tipoff in Charlotte. They were betting then that they’d be ready to win now, and it turned out they were right.
They were so right, in fact, that the rest of the league already is using Sacramento’s decision to accommodate a star player’s trade request at midseason as a cautionary tale.
“After all,” Sam Amick of The Athletic wrote Saturday, “the Kings are known to have serious regrets about the outcome of their deal.”
What looked like a heist last February looks even more one-sided now, and not just because of the 20 victories and eons of vibes separating the third-place Spurs and last-place Kings in the Western Conference standings today. When one team buys and the other sells, that’s how it’s supposed to happen in the short-term.
The difference in the Fox trade, though, was that the buyer set itself up much better than the seller in the long-term, too. Look back at what the Spurs gave up for Fox, the 28-year-old point guard who looks poised to thrive as Victor Wembanyama’s title-contending sidekick through an eventual move into a downtown arena.
To get him, the Spurs traded away three players who did not fit into their future plans (Tre Jones, Zach Collins and Sidy Cissoko) and a middling package of draft picks that might never include a single selection in the Top 10.
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) drives against San Antonio Spurs guard De’aaron Fox during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
The first pick, the one the Spurs returned to Chicago, was used on Noa Essengue, who played a grand total of six minutes this season before undergoing shoulder surgery. A heavily-protected first-rounder from Charlotte last year did not convey, and might not become even a second-rounder.
All that’s significant beyond that is a Spurs first-rounder in 2027 — when San Antonio already owns an Atlanta pick that should be much higher — and a Timberwolves first-rounder in 2031.
It’s no wonder, then, that the Kings have “serious regrets.” And it’s no wonder that they’re once again being cited as an example of how not to run a franchise.
In retrospect, the Spurs would have been crazy not to take advantage of Sacramento’s dysfunction. That remains true even on days like Saturday, when Fox wasn’t at his best while his rookie backup looked ready for more responsibility.
San Antonio general manager Brian Wright had no way of knowing a year ago that another fortuitous bounce of a lottery ball would land Dylan Harper in his lap, or that Harper would so quickly make 9-for-13, 20-point performances look easy.
But even if Wright could have predicted he’d have a glut of productive guards, isn’t Fox — at the price the Spurs paid for him — still an unquestionably useful bargain? He’s old enough to provide veteran experience while young enough to fit the Wembanyama timeline, and there’s a reason he’s such a big part of what Mitch Johnson draws up at the end of every game.
A year ago, during Fox’s first week in a Spurs uniform, he hit a game-winner in Atlanta and missed one in Charlotte, in the same arena where the Spurs lost Saturday. After the Hornets game last February, Wembanyama described the plan for Fox.
“We’re not going to trust halfway,” Wembanyama said. “We’re going to trust 100%.”
In the 52 weeks since then, that approach hasn’t changed, and it’s one reason why the Spurs figure to be much less active on the transaction wire leading up to this year’s trade deadline than they were last time.
Finding a new home for Jeremy Sochan still seems likely, if not inevitable. If there’s a way to turn his contract — or Kelly Olynyk’s — into a useful bench piece that can make a 3-point shot, the Spurs will pounce on it.
But there was no way they would join the bidding for Giannis Antetokuonmpo, because there is no way to do that without changing their timeline in a much more dramatic way than they did with the Fox trade.
By adding Fox, they opened their playoff window a little earlier, while ensuring it stays open well into the next decade. Any Antetokuonmpo deal would rob from the future to feed desperation now, before the Spurs have seen their current core compete in even one playoff series.
And so a year after they made pulled off a deal their trading partner regrets? There is no urgency to do it again.
As Wembanyama said, the Spurs’ trust is 100%.
In Fox.
And in the plan that brought him here.
By Mike Finger, via San Antonio Express-News