Mar 9, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox (4) looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half at Target Center. Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Ex-NBA Champion's Brutally Honest De'Aaron Fox Statement

Originally posted on San Antonio Spurs on SI
By Matt Guzman | Last updated Apr 12, 2025 10:49 PM ET

Without De'Aaron Fox, the San Antonio Spurs will take the court one final time ahead of next season. Despite his finger injury, he still played a pivotal role for his new team in the limited time he had.

Fox sustained a left pinkie injury during training camp while still with the Sacramento Kings, and played with his two leftmost fingers taped together for the remainder of the season. Fixing it was always in the cards, though the bigger question remained when the procedure would happen.

"The main problem is just the fact that if you throw me the ball, the first thing it's going to hit is the finger," Fox explained earlier in the season. "That's the reason that I really do tape it ... at some point, we're going to have to sit down and get it fixed."

De’Aaron Fox just spoke about the decision to get the finger surgery now. He said it’s his first-ever surgery. The recovery time is about 12 weeks.

He’ll be conditioning throughout and hopes to play open gym in the summer to get the chemistry going for next year’s team! pic.twitter.com/3btTznKPEd
— Jacob Tobey (@JacobRTobey) March 14, 2025

While still working out the timeline for his injury, Fox was traded to the Spurs, which raised a few more questions regarding his ability to impact the game. As he proved, it wasn't much of a hindrance.

Because of that, former Spurs champion Danny Green didn't mince words about the Kings shipping him off midseason on a recent appearance on FanDuel's Run It Back.

"Letting De'Aaron Fox go was a mistake, Green said. "I would've done everything to try to keep him."

"Letting De'Aaron Fox go was a mistake...I would've done everything to try to keep him."@DGreen_14 says the Kings may need to break up Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine by next February @ChandlerParsons says Sabonis is more valuable than LaVine & DeRozan pic.twitter.com/1COQYRh2xU
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) April 8, 2025

The Spurs missed out on the playoffs this season, but injuries certainly held them back. Between Victor Wembanyama's deep vein thrombosis and Fox's finger, a run at the postseason was a long shot.

But, unsprisingly, the future looks bright in San Antonio.

This article first appeared on San Antonio Spurs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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