By Jeje Gomez | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2026-06-19 21:35:55
马刺是否应该在今年夏天尝试交易达龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox)，是整个休赛期最有趣的话题之一。一部分球迷，以及一些媒体评论员和分析师会认为答案显然是“应该”，但据ESPN的迈克尔·C·莱特 (Michael C. Wright)报道，马刺管理层似乎并不这么认为。
“在球队内部，”莱特写道，“马刺仍然致力于将福克斯视作他们的建队基石首发控卫。消息人士称，在赛季的大部分时间里，福克斯都是一个让人安心的存在，也是球队的终结者，并补充说，在基本单腿支撑作战的情况下打完一个糟糕的系列赛，并不会改变这一点。”
这篇文章绝对值得一读。而就在一天前，《圣安东尼奥快报》的迈克·芬格 (Mike Finger)也写了一篇同样值得关注的专栏文章。他在文中建议——而非报道——如果能找到一笔划算的交易，马刺应该在今年休赛期放弃福克斯：
马刺必须在福克斯的合同到期前将其交易。如果今年夏天有这样的机会，他们不妨快刀斩乱麻，现在就撕下这层创可贴。
现在，这两段话看起来可能有些矛盾，但事实未必如此。马刺可能不会主动兜售福克斯，至少不会积极兜售，并且可能很乐意带他回归；但同时，他们也会倾听报价，如果出现对双方都有利的方案，他们也可能会果断出手。
因此，我们从可靠的消息源得知，圣安东尼奥依然信任福克斯，但如果机会合适，将他送走也并非绝无可能。但他们应该在今年夏天交易他吗？虽然答案很复杂，但由于几个相互关联的原因，这似乎并不是一个好主意。让我们按照潜在危害从小到大的顺序逐一列出。
马刺作为“球员友好型”球队的声誉将受到打击
让我们回顾一下福克斯加盟马刺的始末。当时，福克斯厌倦了在萨克拉门托的苦苦挣扎——他效力的国王队管理混乱，在他效力期间仅打进过一次季后赛。于是，他在2025年强行推动交易加盟圣安东尼奥。他的目标是加入已经展现出未来超巨潜质的维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama)，以及一支拥有当时还是新秀的斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle)的充满活力、年轻有趣的团队，以期获得更大的成功。因为他选择了银黑军团，马刺在交易中以相对低廉的代价得到了他，主要送出的是替补球员和一个有价值的选秀权。
在这位全明星后卫经历了一个糟糕的季后赛（期间他带伤作战且打得不是自己熟悉的位置）之后，现在就将他转手，可能会让圣安东尼奥在未来有意与文班亚马联手的球员中留下不好的名声，因为他们可能会认为这支球队不会看重他们。诚然，福克斯已经拿到了他的顶薪提前续约合同，这减轻了负面影响，但要让交易看起来对球员和球队双赢，唯一的办法就是让福克斯去往他想去的地方，并获得球星级别的出场时间和球权。
交易回报不太可能理想
正如芬格在专栏中所说，因为马刺不会随随便便把福克斯甩卖到任何地方，所以他们在谈判中将处于劣势。福克斯的潜在下家数量会被人为减少，这意味着不会出现竞价大战。即使在最好的情况下，圣安东尼奥也可能无法为福克斯找到一份极佳的报价——他是一名拿着顶薪的优秀球员，但并非现象级球星。而在他价值似乎处于历史最低谷的当下交易他，显然不是一个合理的资源管理方式。
好消息是，由于马刺当初引进福克斯时并没有付出太多代价，因此无法换回丰厚的回报也不会那么令人痛苦。如果他们真的交易他，那也是因为他们认为，通过给迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper)尽可能多的上场时间，无论是在球场上、更衣室里，还是两者兼顾，球队都会变得更好。尽管如此，由于至少从财务角度来看并不着急，等待并希望他能恢复一些价值，同时保持警惕等待合适买家的出现，似乎是更好的选择。
马刺的实力可能会下滑，年轻后卫的压力将急剧增加
由于一旦福克斯被交易，他很可能会去往自己选择的地方，加之他目前的价值较低，马刺很难换回同等水平的人才。假设他们得到的筹码类似于老鹰交易特雷·杨 (Trae Young)所获得的回报，即一名步入职业生涯后期的后卫（C·J·麦科勒姆 (C.J. McCollum)）和一个能力有限的角色球员（科里·基斯珀特 (Corey Kispert)）。除非这笔交易能解决严重的化学反应问题（就像亚特兰大当时似乎存在的那样），否则这样的交易不会让圣安东尼奥变得更好。如果目标是下赛季重返总决赛，那么这样的举动会让这个目标变得更加难以实现，相比之下，让三名后卫同时首发，或者说服其中一人打替补，都要靠谱得多。
这也会给两名极其年轻的球员带来巨大的压力，迫使他们的技术实现大跨步。尽管天赋异禀，但卡斯尔和哈珀上赛季看起来还没有做好掌控一支球队的准备。他们是优秀的得分手，卡斯尔在挡拆持球方面也明显有所进步，但他们还不是场上的指挥官。诚然，福克斯并不完全像克里斯·保罗 (Chris Paul)那样，而且他也经常打无球，但在很多情况下，他是那个能够稳住阵脚并组织起串联队友进攻的人。尽管他在季后赛中表现低迷，但考虑到出手量，他也是这三人中最好的三分射手。如果卡斯尔和哈珀在2026/27赛季仅凭简单的突破就能摧毁对手，那么这些也许都不重要，但在我们看到他们中的任何一个或两个能够掌控球队之前，送走唯一一个有此能力的球员可能会适得其反。
抽中哈珀的乐透签改变了马刺的局面。在另一个平行宇宙中，他们拿到一个顺位较低的选秀权，没有选择后卫，关于潜在交易福克斯的传闻也不会如此甚嚣尘上。但在现实世界中，结合他在季后赛的表现，人们至少会质疑是否应该通过交易来清理后场拥堵，并摆脱一份最终可能成为包袱的合同，这是可以理解的。
然而，从长远来看，如果目标是在季后赛中再次走得更远，那么在几乎肯定会损失整体天赋的同时，寄希望于两名年轻球员完成飞跃来弥补这一损失，在目前这个节点上似乎并没有那么大的吸引力。马刺最终几乎肯定会交易福克斯，但由于财务上并无燃眉之急，他们完全可以保持耐心，等待更好的机会。
由生成式 AI 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：Why trading De’Aaron Fox this offseason would be a mistake
Why trading De’Aaron Fox this offseason would be a mistake
The question of whether the Spurs should try to trade De’Aaron Fox this summer is one of the most interesting ones of the entire offseason. A portion of the fanbase, along with some talking heads and analysts, would say the answer should be a resounding “yes,” but it doesn’t seem like the front office agrees, according to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright.
“Internally,” Wright writes, “the Spurs remain committed to Fox as their franchise starting point guard. Sources called Fox a calming presence and the team’s closer for most of the season, adding that one rough series essentially playing on one leg doesn’t change that.“
The article, which is definitely worth a read, comes a day after San Antonio Express-News’ Mike Finger wrote a column also worth your time, suggesting, not reporting, that the Spurs should move on from Fox this offseason if they can find a good deal:
The Spurs are going to have to trade Fox before his contract expires, and if there’s an opportunity to do so this summer, they might as well get it over with and rip the bandage off now.
Now, the two quotes might appear contradictory, but that’s not necessarily the case. The Spurs might not shop Fox, at least not aggressively, and could be happy to bring him back while also listening to offers and potentially pulling the trigger if something makes sense for both parties.
So we know from trustworthy sources that San Antonio is committed to Fox, but moving him if they find an opportunity to do so doesn’t seem out of the question. But should they trade him this summer? While the answer is complex, it seems like it wouldn’t be the best idea, for several interconnected reasons. Let’s list them from least to most potentially harmful.
The Spurs’ reputation as a player-friendly franchise would take a hit
Let’s remember the story of how De’Aaron Fox got to the Spurs. Fox, tired of toiling away in Sacramento playing for a dysfunctional Kings team that only made the playoffs once with him on the roster, forced his way to San Antonio in 2025. His goal was to join Victor Wembanyama, already looking like a future superstar, and a fun, young group that featured then-rookie Stephon Castle in hopes of more success. Because he chose the Silver and Black, they got him for relatively cheap on the trade, mostly sending out backups and one valuable pick.
Flipping him now, after a bad postseason from the All-Star guard in which he played out of position and was injured, could give San Antonio a bad reputation with players who might be interested in joining powers with Wembanyama in the future, as they could think the franchise won’t value them. Granted, Fox got his max extension, which mitigates the damage, but the only way a trade would seem like a win-win for both player and team would be if Fox lands somewhere he wants to be and gets star minutes and touches.
The return on a trade is unlikely to be good
Because the Spurs are not just going to dump Fox just anywhere, as Finger says in his column, they’d be negotiating from a place of weakness. The number of suitors for Fox would be artificially reduced, meaning there wouldn’t be a bidding war. It’s possible that not even in the best of circumstances San Antonio would find a great offer for Fox, who is a good but not transcendent player on a maximum salary, but trading him now, when his value seems at an all-time low, doesn’t seem like a good management of resources.
The good news is that because the Spurs didn’t have to pay much to bring Fox along, not getting a king’s ransom back for him wouldn’t be that painful. And if they do in fact move him, it would be because they think they could be better off either on the court, in the locker room, or both by giving Dylan Harper as many minutes as he can handle. Still, since there is no rush, at least from a financial standpoint, waiting and hoping he could regain some of his value and remaining vigilant for the right suitor to appear feels like the better option.
The Spurs would likely be worse, and the pressure on the young guards would increase severely
Since in the event that Fox is traded it would likely be to a place he picks, and since his value is low at this point, it’s unlikely the Spurs get comparative talent back. Let’s assume they get something similar to what the Hawks got for Trae Young, which would be an aging guard (C.J. McCollum) and a limited role player (Corey Kispert). Unless there’s a serious chemistry issue that would be solved by the transaction, like there seemingly was in Atlanta, such a trade wouldn’t make San Antonio better. If the goal is to get back to the Finals next season, a move like that would make that objective more unlikely than, say, starting all three guards or convincing one to come off the bench.
It would also up the pressure on two extremely young players to make major strides in their game. While immensely talented, both Castle and Harper didn’t look ready to run a team last season. They were good scorers, and Castle clearly developed as a pick-and-roll ball handler, but they were not floor generals. Now, Fox isn’t exactly Chris Paul, and he played off the ball a lot, but on several occasions, he was the one who would settle the troops and run some offense that involved others. Despite his slump in the playoffs, he’s also the best three-point shooter of the three when accounting for volume. Maybe none of that would matter if Castle and Harper spent 2026/27 destroying opponents on simple drives, but until we see either or both of them be able to run a team, getting rid of the one guy who can could backfire.
The Dylan Harper lottery changed things for the Spurs. In a different universe, they land a lower pick, don’t select a guard, and the rumors about a potential Fox trade would not be as loud. In this reality and after how he performed in the postseason, it’s understandable to at least question whether a move should be made to clear a logjam and remove a contract that could eventually become a problem.
When taking the long view, however, almost certainly losing talent in the aggregate while trusting two young players to make a leap to make up for it doesn’t seem as appealing at this juncture, if the goal is to make another deep run in the playoffs. Eventually, the Spurs will almost certainly trade Fox, but since there’s no financial rush, they can afford to be patient and wait for a better opportunity.
By Jeje Gomez, via Pounding The Rock