De’Aaron Fox Clears Stance On Viral Accusations as 3 ESPN Analysts Confirm Spurs’ Shot at Cooper Flagg

For the San Antonio Spurs, playoffs were their ultimate goal this season, and they had a solid plan for it. But who pumped the confidence? Their prized asset, Victor Wembanyama. But fate had other plans for the franchise. Following the French center’s visit to the Bay Area after the All-Star weekend, news broke that he would need to crush his dreams for this season due to a season-ending injury. As a result, everything the team had hoped for fell apart. So what’s next for the franchise? Well, they can invest in the future and all eyes have been on one prospect — Cooper Flagg. But how do they get him? By tanking games?

The viral accusation is that they might strategize by tanking games to secure the future! But is this ‘practice’ okay for their new acquisition?

Following the 120-109 win against the Suns on Thursday, De’Aaron Fox clarified his stance on the chatter about the future draft pick, Flagg. “First and foremost, every time we step foot on on a court, we’re trying to win the game, regardless who is out there,” Fox declared. “So, for us, like I said, we come together. We know we have to go in run if we wanna get to the play-in or playoffs.”

Wemby’s absence will be a huge loss for the team. Though they’ve managed to secure a win, reaching the post-season tournament won’t be that easy. The 7-foot-3 center had the potential to lead them there. He averaged an insane 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, and 3.8 blocks before being ruled out due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. So, the team has lost hope with him sidelined for the rest of the season.

Despite acquiring Chris Paul and De’Aaron Fox, filling Wemby’s void is a tall task for which the Spurs are not yet ready. With that in mind, some believe they should target Cooper Flagg in the upcoming draft to strengthen their future and focus less on this season. However, getting the 18-year-old on board could be a tough challenge for the team. However, ESPN analysts seem to have found a potential loophole that could make it possible.

ESPN analysts reveal a potential path for Spurs to draft Cooper Flagg

The detailed discussion on the possibility of the Spurs drafting Cooper Flagg took place in the latest episode of The Hoop Collective podcast, where Tim Bontemps highlighted, “They’re (the Spurs) in the 10th spot in the lottery right now.” If Wemby had been with the team, they might have made it to the playoffs, but with the change in scenario, he feels their future could take an unexpected turn. “They’re not making the playoffs now. I mean, I agree. I don’t think it was likely they’re making the playoffs, but they could have gotten the plane and won two games. Wouldn’t have been out of the question,” Bontemps stated.

He further added, “They just traded for De’Aaron Fox. They’re three games out of 10th. Like they could have got into 10th and won two games. Now it’s much more likely they finished seventh in the lottery than 13th in the lottery. And they could very easily jump up and get lucky. I’m not saying they’re going to be in the top three, but it improves their lottery situation by a lot.” To which both Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon agreed.

Bontemps believes that, given the Spurs’ current position, it’s now more likely they’ll end up with the 7th pick in the lottery. It gives them a better shot at a higher draft pick. While a top-three spot isn’t a guarantee, their chances of a lucky jump in the lottery have improved. Now, if that happens, it could pave a clearer path for them to draft Cooper Flagg. So, to see if that plan works out, we’ll have to wait until June, when the 2026 NBA Draft takes place unless Flagg decides to withdraw his name from it, as he’s hinted at.