The race for the number one pick in the NBA Draft has wrapped up, and teams are starting to make decisions with their future in mind. The San Antonio Spurs joined that wave yesterday when they announced that star guard De’Aaron Fox will be out for the rest of the season as he undergoes surgery on his pinkie finger to repair ligament damage.
Despite suffering tendon damage in October during training camp in Sacramento, Fox decided to play through it. With Victor Wembanyama already ruled out for the season and the playoffs out of reach, there is little reason for Fox to continue playing.
Fox was traded from the Sacramento Kings just before the trade deadline and has played excellent basketball since arriving in Texas. He will finish the 2024-25 regular season averaging 23.5 points, 6.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals over 36.1 minutes per game while shooting 46.3 percent from the field.
This comes two weeks after it was announced that All-Star center Wembanyama will miss the remainder of the season due to a blood clot—a rare and serious condition requiring caution. The last time San Antonio faced a similar situation, David Robinson’s injury led to them landing Tim Duncan in the draft. Many Spurs fans are hoping for similar luck, with eyes on standout Duke forward Cooper Flagg.
Flagg injured his ankle this week and likely will not play again until the NCAA Tournament. It will be interesting to see how other NBA teams approach the final 20 games of the season as they compete for the best lottery odds in the 2026 NBA Draft.
