Jason Burgos
A new rumor just opened the door for the San Antonio Spurs to make a bold trade that swaps De’Aaron Fox for Brandon Ingram.
The 2024-25 campaign showed that despite only playing in 46 games, Victor Wembanyama had huge potential, and Stephon Castle winning Rookie of the Year meant the big man had another emerging star to play alongside. That promise and the growth of other players on the roster saw San Antonio take a huge leap forward this past season.
Instead of just being a playoff contender, the Spurs ousted the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder en route to reaching the NBA Finals. Unfortunately for San Antonio fans, they fell in five games to a New York Knicks team that seemed to have destiny on their side.
If there was one major change Spurs fans would like to see them make this offseason, it would be to move Fox after an underwhelming performance in the Finals and let talented rookie Dylan Harper start. Well, an interesting rumor from Heavy’s Sean Deveney just opened the door to a trade that could net the team an All-Star that may be a better fit.
– Sean Deveney
“The fact that the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors have not processed the Kawhi Leonard trade is likely due to LA trying to find a team to take on Brandon Ingram, who is on a deal with two years and $82 million remaining. ‘That is not an easy deal to move, but a lot of teams need scoring, so it’s worth keeping that option open,’ one NBA executive said.”
Why does a Brandon Ingram trade make sense for the San Antonio Spurs
It is understandable if the Spurs feel they have a strong roster, especially after some of the offseason moves they have made, and can finish the story next season. However, while Fox is a legit scoring force, he is the one weak link in a defense that is arguably the best in the league. The Knicks exposed that often in the finals.
Ingram is not an elite defender. However, the two-time All-Star has the potential to be a pretty good one when he wants to be. Plus, he is a player who has scored 21 or more points a night for the last seven seasons. So the Spurs would not lose much offensively by swapping him for Fox.
But they do gain from the deal by placing Harper in the starting five and moving Devin Vassell to the bench, where he can make an even bigger impact against the reserve units of opposing teams.
The Clippers would be open to the deal because they land a high-level go-to scorer who is in his prime to combine with Darius Garland and first-round pick Keaton Wagler. A potential trade is probably a long shot. However, if LA wants to move Ingram, it is an idea they and the Spurs should consider.
